Diamonds in the Rough
by Durandall
Summary: A RanmaGoldenboyLove Hina crossover. Someone wants to follow in his brother's footsteps, and get into a prestigious college....
1. Prologue/Teaser

In the mountains outside of Tokyo, far enough away that the light of the city itself could not be seen when the sun had set, lay a sprawling, if dilapidated inn. The building was run down, paint having peeled from the wooden paneling, and small weeds were growing between the shingles of the moss-covered roof. Shutters rattled in even the slightest breeze, and only a single guest was present.

The manager, a man of middling years with a dour opinion on maintenance left his single guest undisturbed, with only the warning that the inn would likely be gone within the week.

In his room, moth-eaten futon and blankets left in the closet, a male figure sat at the writing table, a flickering electric light providing illumination.

"Ugh," he muttered, setting a mechanical pencil to the sheet before him. "What a ride."

In the room behind him, leaning against a wall to be protected from the elements, a ten-speed bicycle stood, finish gleaming despite the strangely evident age of the device. A pack sat on the floor a short distance away, and a bedroll and sleeping bag had been set out in what little space was left.

The man sighed audibly, pulling his pencil away from the paper and shaking his head. His hair was black, kept in a pigtail to about the middle of his back, and tightly braided. A bandana - red satin, to appearances - kept the dark shock of his bangs out of his blue-gray eyes. Clad only in a white T-shirt and jeans, unaffected by the chill of the room, the man twisted his face into a grimace, and threw his arms into the air in despair, falling backwards to lay on the floor, staring upwards.

Lacing his fingers together behind his head, he gazed up at the ceiling, attention distant. His shirt betrayed the bulges of a fair number of fairly refined muscles - not quite muscular, but more than wiry. "How long has it been," he mused aloud. "Three ... four years?"

He sighed, closing his eyes, and shook his head. "Too damn long."

The wind broke the silence, a rustling noise filling the room as leaves brushed across the roof. "Not long enough. That's it," he decided, sitting up completely, and seizing the dropped pencil.

"Yo, Aniki," he began, reading aloud as he scribed on the paper.

He chewed his lower lip for a moment, then shrugged and resumed writing. "I haven't seen you in a couple of months, so thought I'd mail this to your house.

"Life on the road is different from when I was a kid, and I've learned a lot, but I think it's time for me to go to school. I have a few months left before classes begin, anyway."

Sighing, he frowned at what he'd written. "I hate writing letters," he mumbled to himself, before he resumed his cautious scrawl.

"So I'm going to try and get into the same college you did. I think I can do it because you helped me study. Wish me luck, Aniki. I'll mail you my address once I find someplace to live near school."

Studying the letter uncertainly, he sighed, then gave a judicious nod. "Good enough," he announced to no one in particular, signing the letter.

"Your little brother, Oe Ranma."

Folding the letter, he leaned over his pack, and, producing an envelope, quickly scribbled an address on it, folded the letter up, and tucked it carefully inside before sealing it. Reaching back into the drawer of the desk, he pulled out a worn, beaten, and much-abused looking pamphlet.

"Ugh," he grumped, frowning. "This thing is old ... but let's see..." The pamphlet was carefully smoothed against the table, and the man's ready eyes scanned across it. "Dorms ... dorms ... dorms..."

Finding what he looked for, he smiled brightly. "Hinata-Sou, eh? Now all I gotta do is write one more letter, and we'll be set..."  


* * *

Diamonds in the Rough - Prologue

Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine. That's all.

Notes: Divergences should become apparent as relevant.  


* * *

Sliding the curtains open revealed a dim and overcast sky outside the window, the weak sunlight filtering through heavy clouds, and thin fog. The woman in the housedress who had opened the curtains clicked her tongue, sighing at the weather before allowing herself a small smile.

"Kasumi, dear?" a voice called out to her from the back of the small apartment she occupied.

Blinking, the woman turned about, favoring one leg as she did so, and turned large innocent eyes towards the speaker. That speaker was male, with short, neatly trimmed black hair and wire-frame spectacles. "Good morning, Tofu! I'm sorry - I'll get started on breakfast right away-"

"That's not necessary," he assured her, smiling as he stepped closer. "But I know that the bad weather makes you ache. Are you alright?"

Biting her lip, Kasumi stared at her leg for a moment before allowing her worried expression to melt into a pleased smile. "I'm glad you're concerned, Tofu, but it doesn't hurt badly. It... It simply reminds me of..." She trailed off, her smile failing as she struggled for words. Clasping her hands together, she faced the man worriedly, and finally blurted out, "Do you ever wonder what happened to him, Tofu? Where he went after-"

"Let's not worry about that right now," Tofu interrupted, shaking his head resolutely. "Your father brings it up often enough. For today... For today, why don't we just be happy with one another, and not worry about ... Ranma."

For a moment, the woman seemed about to protest, but finally, she nodded, and allowed the man a pleased smile. "You're right, Tofu. Of course."  


* * *

Author's notes: And so it begins.  



	2. Welcome, Ranma!

Entering the main hall of an old inn amidst a heavy fall of rain, and glancing behind her towards the setting sun in the distance, a woman paused, lighting the cigarette that had been extinguished in the downpour. Her hair was bound behind her, and she wore a skirt, a long-sleeved blouse, and a dark apron over that. "Oi," she called out through lips that still maintained their grip on the filter of her cigarette. "Keitaro. Get your lazy butt down here - you got a letter."

Only taking a moment to respond, and clumsily charging down the stairs, a man rushed towards her, clutching a pencil in one hand and a small stack of papers in the other. "Variable one to the power of seven over two - thank you, Haruka-basan," he mumbled, snatching the envelope from her hand and spinning about.

One eyebrow ticking at the title she had been given, the woman kicked Keitaro's foot out from under him as he charged the stairs. He fell, his balance hopelessly upset, and planted his face firmly in the staircase, sending papers flying everywhere. "I'm not old," she stated firmly. "Got that?"

"Yes," he pronounced around a mouthful of one of the steps. "I really have to study, though." Prying himself off of the staircase, he quickly assembled all of the visible papers into a single stack. "Now," he mumbled. "It was ... seven over one to the power of variable ... one..." He tromped back up the stairs as quickly as he had arrived, swiftly vanishing from view.

Shaking her head, the woman sighed, turning back towards the rainy walk between the inn and the teashop. "Oh, it could be worse," she allowed, frowning at some disturbance in the mists that surrounded the inn during the rainy season.  


* * *

Diamonds in the Rough - Chapter One - Welcome, Ranma!

Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine. That's all.

Notes: Divergences should become apparent as relevant.  


* * *

Days later, after the extended spates of rain finally seemed to be giving up, Keitaro found himself standing at the top of the stairs leading to Hinata-Sou, eyeing the muddied steps with some trepidation. As much as he hated to admit it, however, the stairs wouldn't be cleaning themselves.

"Right," he announced, shaking his head. So much studying to be done, and hardly enough time for it. Turning his back to the stairs, he trotted to the property's maintenance shed and retrieved a broom. The mud would need a bit of time to dry - the last of the rains had stopped only a few minutes prior - but the sun was shining brightly, and Keitaro expected he wouldn't need to wait long.

When he returned, he found something unexpected - a woman was standing atop the steps, leaning against a red ten-speed bicycle, staring up at the inn with a bemused smile and hopeful eyes. Blue eyes that sparkled with a strangely foreign luster. She wore a white T-shirt with short sleeves, and a pair of loose jeans, the bottoms of the legs folded up into cuffs, along with a pair of slipper-style shoes. Tightly braided red hair flowed down to the middle of her back, unruly bangs kept in check with a cloth strip of a nearly identical color. The woman pursed her lips thoughtfully, fingers tapping idly against a handlebar of the bike, and an improbably large pack sat on the ground to one side.

Keitaro dragged his attention from the woman long enough to study the pack. It was worn, and had a few obvious signs of repair about it - extra stitching across the seams, patches along the bottom, and one of the straps had been replaced with a length of thick rope - but it seemed far too large for such a petite woman to have borne. "Can I help you?" Keitaro asked cautiously, returning his attention to her.

Blinking, the woman straightened from the bike, allowing it to rest on its kickstand, and turned to face Keitaro. She grinned at him, nodding hopefully. "Yeah," she said, knuckling back a yawn, and stretching slightly. The stretching did interesting things to her white T-shirt, allowing Keitaro an excellent view of some very well defined curves before the woman seemed to notice, and frowned sharply. Suddenly realizing that he was nearly drooling, Keitaro rubbed at his lower lip, and closed his mouth. "I'm Oe Ranma," the woman offered, still frowning.

At Keitaro's blank stare, she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Did you get my letter?" she asked, annoyance creeping into her voice. "I sent a letter explaining who I was and that I wanted to rent a room - you do have vacancies, right? You are the manager, aren't you?"

"Yes," Keitaro managed, nodding, and tearing his eyes from the flimsy - and wet - material of the woman's shirt to meet her eyes, now a frustrated cerulean. "Um. Vacancies. Yes, we do have vacancies."

"Great!" the woman enthused, clapping her hands together. "And you did get my letter, right?"

Distracted by the secondary motions caused by the woman's sudden applause, Keitaro nodded dumbly. "Uh, rooms two-oh-four and three-oh-four are empty."

"What's the difference?" she asked, turning her head toward the inn, and studying it closely.

"Three-oh-four is on the top floor, next to Moto- Er, that is, next to Aoyama, and two-oh-four is on the lower floor next to Maehara," he explained, struggling with the temptation to stare at the woman's chest. His eyes, nearly of their own accord, seemed to creep lower and lower, widening slowly, until he forcibly snapped them upward, blinking sharply and shaking his head to clear the thickness that had begun to settle there.

"Okay," she said, nodding agreeably and marching towards her pack, rifling through it swiftly. "I'd like the lower floor, I think." Retrieving an envelope she turned her attention back to Keitaro, who was at that point focusing entirely on her face. "This isn't a co-ed dorm, is it?"

"No," he said, shaking his head quickly. "It's not, you see, but, er, we make an exception-"

"Thank the gods," the woman said, shaking her head. "I was afraid that... Well, if you're saying it's okay with you, then it's all okay in my book. The old brochure I found said that rent was about, uh, forty eight thousand yen a month?"

"Fifty-thousand even, actually," Keitaro said apologetically. "I, er, well, let me get the paperwork, so you can sign everything."

"Fine by me," Ranma said agreeably, thumbing through her envelope. "Do you mind if I pay for three months in advance?"

"Not really," Keitaro said, shaking his head, and turning towards the entrance. "Some of the other tenants actually do that." He marched through the doorway, finding the foyer deserted for the moment, no visible sign of the other residents coming to his attention. "Er... anyway, what college are you going to?"

"I'm trying to get into Toudai," Ranma offered, hefting her backpack and slinging it across one shoulder effortlessly.

"Really?" Keitaro asked, dropping the forms he had retrieved from the desk in the foyer to stare at the woman in alarm. "Um, are you trying to get into Toudai because of a promise you made?"

"Uh ... yes," the woman replied hesitantly, frowning at Keitaro in consternation. "Why?"

Grabbing the woman's shoulders, his eyes widening further and unable to keep the excitement out of his voice, he asked, "Is it a promise you made when you were just a child?"

Frowning, the woman disengaged his hands with a casual shrug, incidentally sending him staggering back five steps. "No," she answered, annoyed. "I made a promise last year, when Aniki told me where he went to college. Why?"

Recovering his composure and shaking his head, Keitaro apologized, "Um, sorry about that. It's ... uh ... not really important."

Ranma blinked. "Well," she grumbled. "My older brother studied law there for a few years. I want to follow in his footsteps. Anyway, I have to sign those papers, right?"

Chastised, Keitaro turned his attention to the sheets, sighing. "Of course," he mumbled. "Sorry. Anyway, I'll need you to sign here, here, initial here, and sign here," he noted, gesturing to the lines.

The woman signed quickly, sighing in relief, and handed over the three months of rent. "Man, that just about wipes me out," she mourned, shaking her head.

"You don't have to pay all at once," Keitaro offered, holding the money back out to her.

"Nah," she said, shaking her head. "Keep it - I'll get a part time job in the city down there. Aniki taught me to do all kinds of things." Grinning, she asked, "Is the hot spring clean, do you know?"

Blinking at the change in subject, Keitaro nodded. "Well, yes, actually. Were you planning on using it right away?"

"You bet!" the woman enthused. "That's the main reason I chose this dorm - constant access to hot water. Can you show me which room is mine, so I can put my bike away before I take a bath?"

"Right," Keitaro confirmed, thoroughly confused. "It's just down this hall, past Maehara's room. Um, I'll try and see when I can arrange for you to meet the other tenants - but there's a walkway from outside just a way up the street, so you don't have to carry the bike all the way up the stairs."

XXX

Body glistening, and skin prickling at the chill, Ranma grinned, dousing herself with the wash bucket one last time before standing. Towel about her waist, she sighed happily, and strode into the bath. Her form remained female until she splashed comfortably into the water. Her body rippled, shivered, and convulsed once briefly before changing, but the sensation was long familiar, and little attention was paid, save to adjust the towel.

"This is good," he murmured, relaxing, allowing some of the tension to drain out of his body. The inn was nice, that was certain, and the price was very good. Tests, food, and countless other details would almost certainly take even more money, but for the moment, he was secure, in reach of the college he was going to try and attend, and everything was in order. A light sprinkling of rain quickly offset the warmth of the spring, though the immersion in much hotter water prevented his curse from triggering.

He glanced upward, brushing his bangs back and staring into the falling droplets. The rain had always been an annoyance after he got the curse. But the rain also reminded him of a night, three years and more ago, when his life was changed forever.

"Shit," he whispered, balling up one hand into a fist, and punching at the surface of the spring. Water splashed up about him, cascading down and crashing back into the bath, ripples masked by the fall of rain. The same way that tears and their tracks would be masked.

"Why do I always gotta think about that when it rains," he whispered unhappily. The rain ceased at those words, remarked on only by a loud curse from the manager of the inn about cruel weather and impossible steps. Ranma snorted, shaking his head. "Not gonna think about that now," he said resolutely, casting his mind back to the closest thing he had had to a real home since leaving Nerima.

That had been a simple garage that Kintaro rented from an elderly couple in Chiba. He also had his mail sent there, though he habitually spent less than a month out of the year at his 'home'. The elderly couple delighted in seeing him about, and he paid his rent regularly, in addition to helping the couple out whenever he was nearby. Three months... Three months had been spent with Kintaro in that garage before he and Ranma had scraped together enough money from odd jobs to assemble what Kintaro deemed was appropriate 'travel gear'.

Provisions, changes of clothes, good raingear, and the all-important notebooks. Kintaro had a small bookshelf in the garage, half full of reference books on nearly every subject imaginable, and the other half full of his own notebooks. Ranma had flipped through them a few times, and eventually Kintaro had given Ranma a notebook of his own - blue, to Kintaro's black. Ranma couldn't complain.

It was that notebook that had recorded all that Ranma had learned during those first three months when Kintaro had taken him in. It was that notebook that had all of the notes from late-night cram-sessions of studying with Kintaro camped on one side of the road in the mountains, or in a wooded area, with Kintaro teaching him all the things he had ignored the last time he was in school.

He wasn't going to inherit a dojo, after all, not after-

"Stop it," he growled, shaking his head to clear the thoughts.

"Ugh," he groaned, settling back against a large stone and staring up at the inn. The sound of a door sliding open alerted him, and he rose to his feet, prepared to greet the new fellow tenant. His greetings died on his lips, managing only a strangled choke as he stared at the girl who had walked into the bath with him.

Long black hair flowed down her back, flaring out behind her like a thin cloak, extending all the way to her waist, and offsetting her fine, pale complexion nicely. She stared at him blankly, only carrying a towel in one hand. The fabric dangled downward and covered her from the waist to a short distance along her thighs. It was enough to let him see that she wasn't wearing any underwear, and leant him a strange feeling of foreboding. Blinking once, her hand twitched slightly, and she dropped the towel to pool at her feet, alarmed.

"Uh," he managed. "Are you going to leave calmly, grab a stone lantern, and then try and kill me with it?"

"No," she answered quietly, shaking her head. "I'm going to go back into the changing room, grab my sword, and then kill you with that."

"Oh, good," Ranma said uneasily. "For a moment there I thought I'd done something wrong."

The girl offered him a smile, then spun on her heel, marching into the changing room.

"That went well," Ranma decided. "She was pretty reasonable." Shaking his head, he took a step towards the exit - he needed to find out why a girl was in the bath at a non-coed dorm, and he had a sneaking suspicion that the answer would not be to his liking.

The chance to do as he planned was denied, when the girl who had strode away returned, this time bearing a bared metal blade, and dressed in a loose white uwagi and hakama. "Pervert!" she intoned. "Prepare to die!"

Grumbling, Ranma muttered, "Okay, so I jumped to a conclusion on the whole 'reasonable' thing, but before you go calling me a pervert, remember that you walked in on me."

"This is a girls-only bath in an all-girls' dorm!" the girl shouted, hefting the sword.

"Oh, this is not what I needed," Ranma moaned, shaking his head. "Look - calm down before you hurt yourself with that thing-"

"Shinmei Ryu - Ougi Zangan Ken," the girl announced, slashing her blade at Ranma despite the distance between them.

A flurry of pressure waves from the slashes swept towards him angrily, screaming across the bath. He barely had the time necessary to react - throwing himself to the surface of the arena of combat, he sent a carefully angled strike downwards, launching a massive curtain of water upwards before the girl's attack reached him.

The girl's eyes widened as the shower of warm water exploded upwards. Ranma leapt away the second his attack was released, hoping his opponent would be blinded by the spray - or at least distracted - but he knew from experience that a battle involving ki could far-too-easily go wrong. "I don't suppose we could settle this amicably?" he yelled, swinging his fist downward as he shot towards her through the spray of the bath.

"Die!" she yelled, her sword carefully deflected by his punch, and backpedaling to reclaim fighting space. But Ranma knew how to fight kendoka. If he were to stay close to her, then she couldn't get a good swing in at him. He advanced on her until she sprang away suddenly, lashing out with her sword almost faster than his eyes could follow. He threw himself backwards, the tip of the steel edge barely caressing the flesh of his hip, tearing through his towel without any noticeable effort and inflicting a nearly invisible cut, just deep enough to sting. Far too close for comfort, and far too close to things that Ranma preferred to keep comfortable.

His feet slipped across the slick floor, scrambling wildly as he windmilled his arms to retain balance, finally coming to a halt and slamming roughly against the wall separating the bathing area from the laundry and changing room. "Damn it," he swore under his breath, as the girl stared at him openly, eyes wide, and mouth hanging open. "Hey, is a towel too much to ask for?" he yelled.

Her face flushed, the girl's eyes snapped upwards to meet his, her pink cheeks suffusing red with anger. "Pervert!" she declared, drawing her sword back again, and snapping her mouth shut.

Ranma tensed to leap, but restrained himself, hearing a voice through the wall behind him. "Excuse me," it asked timidly, "Motoko-san, is everything okay in there?"

"Shit," Ranma cursed, still slightly dazed from the collision with the wall.

"Ougi Zangan Ken!" the girl yelled again, this time sending her attack towards him and immediately rushing after it.

Gritting his teeth, Ranma shook his head. "I didn't want to have to do this," he growled. "Mouko Takabisha!" The golden ball of light coalesced in his hands, surging away and slamming violently into the blades of ki. The two energies collided, exploding outward from the point of impact - and then there was only darkness.

XXX

The second spate of rain had finally let up - hopefully the last throes of the dying storm - and Keitaro returned to the stairs with the intent of sweeping them off once the sun came out. That intent vanished as the entirety of the inn behind him lurched suddenly, an echoing explosion ringing out, and a column of steam and dust billowing upward in the background.

Swearing quietly, Keitaro dropped his broom and charged toward the baths. Who knew what accident had happened? A frantic storm of possibilities danced through his head - perhaps the boiler had exploded, or maybe Suu's latest invention had reached some form of critical mass, or perhaps even worse. "Suu! Suu! What have you done now? I swear, if I've told you once that the baths are not the place to make banana pudding-"

Cutting himself short, he skidded to a halt before the washroom, peeking in cautiously. Dust and steam wafted into the hall, suggesting that site as the source of the explosion. Inside, he saw Shinobu staring with wide eyes at the completely destroyed wall between the wash area and the baths. The girl's blue eyes were glazed over completely, and she appeared nearly frozen, save for the faint rustling of her shoulder-length hair in the breeze that wafted in over the ruined wall. "Uh-oh," Keitaro whimpered. "Oe-san was in there- Shinobu-chan, do you know what happened?"

The girl blinked, seeming to just then return to her senses, and turned to stare at Keitaro in surprise. "Ah! Oh, Sempai! I heard Motoko-san yelling, and I came to see what happened - but everything blew up before I opened the door!"

"Okay," Keitaro said, marching forward as the dust settled. He stopped, looking down, and seeing that the floor was already pooling with cold water. "Oh, great," he grumped. "Shinobu, I need to shut off the water and drain the bath - if someone's stuck under the rubble they could be in trouble." He bit his lip, then decided, "I'll take care of the water and get to the drain. Can you please ask Suu-chan if she can help get rid of the rubble? We need to hurry!"

The girl blinked at him for a moment, one hand drawn nervously to her cover her mouth, then nodded quickly, dashing off in the direction of Suu's room. Keitaro spared a quick smile for her and opened the closet for access to the water main. With a few decisive twists, the valve was shut off. "That takes care of that, now where is Haruka?"

He turned around, knowing that the woman would arrive any moment - she was not one to ignore explosions, he expected - and came face to face with both Mitsune and Naru. Mitsune bore a rare look of concern on her face, dressed as she usually was just after arriving home from work, while Naru had a bedraggled look that spoke of a recently disturbed study session. They stared about in consternation for a moment before Naru set her hands on her hips and fixed Keitaro with a suspicious glare, eerily accentuated by the glasses that she was wearing. "What's going on here?" she asked, staring at Keitaro sternly.

"I'm not sure yet," he admitted. "But Oe-san - she's a new tenant - and Motoko-chan might be underneath there. I'm going to drain the bath. Try and help Suu clear off the rubble, and tell Haruka what's going on when she gets here," he ordered, quickly trotting past the girls and heading towards the kitchen side exit.

Outside of the inn, he limped across a small bed of gravel, and then through the thick brush that served as a barrier between the bath and the outside world. His progress was impeded briefly by a short bamboo fence around the interior of the spring, but it lasted for only a minute before breaking. Splashing awkwardly through the shallow water, he fumbled for the drain. His questing fingers needed only a moment to find purchase and lever the catch upwards, creating a wide but shallow whirlpool.

Raising his eyes from his immediate situation, he stared about, looking for either the buxom redhead, or the raven-haired kendoka. Neither were immediately visible in the baths, and for that, he sighed in relief. After pulling himself away from the drain and staggering to his feet, Keitaro studied the fallen rubble, more easily visible from outside of the washroom. The rafters and some of the roof of the washroom had been blasted away by some force, and then fallen straight back down. Looking upward revealed a hole in the side of the inn that opened up into the attic, a few roof tiles having rained down about the stone walkway outside the wooden bathing area.

The rubble was easier to identify from his current angle, a large beam from the roof of the bathing area lying crosswise over the door and supporting a good expanse of the flat structure. Keitaro guessed from the angle that it had collapsed, anyone near the door had a reasonable hope of not being crushed. Sighing, he looked around for any sign of Ranma or Motoko, but he could see no ready traces of either in the rubble.

Shaking his head, he strode to the rubble pile, and began pulling loose pieces aside, piling them on the stone expanse between the wooden deck, and the still-draining depths of the bath. "Hello?" he called out cautiously. "Can anyone hear me?"

"I hear you," Naru called back, audible through the wreckage from inside. "But no one answered us - we can't move the beam here, it's too heavy. I think I can see Motoko's leg, though."

"Great," Keitaro grumbled, setting to work with renewed vigor. In a slightly louder voice he noted, "I don't think I'm going to be able to move the main beam myself - does Suu-chan have anything that can help?"

"Yes!" the girl enthused from the other side of the barrier. "Keitaro! Duck! Go Mecha-Bather-Extraction unit, mark two!"

Still holding a half-broken shingle in one hand, and a chunk of wood in the other, Keitaro blinked at the source of the noise. "Duck? Mark two?" he asked himself, a moment before his eyes widened and he threw himself flat to the stone. A beam of pearly white light swept through the upper half of the rubble, moments before the top half of the mass lurched abruptly, cascading off the main body of rubble and landing atop Keitaro.

Grumbling quietly, he pulled himself from the fallen wood and plaster, thankful that it didn't have far to fall before it reached him and dusted his shirt off, eyeing the reformed heap. The mass had been forced off the stack by a remote controlled hydraulic arm of some kind, and he could see Suu sitting on the floor across the pile cross-legged. Her face was scrunched into a grimace of concentration, and she was wearing a pair of goggles, pushed up to her forehead at the moment, and wired into the base of the hydraulic arm she was controlling. Keitaro wasn't certain how she managed it, but the girl's green military jacket and khakis - a rare change from her school uniform - were eerily appropriate.

Naru, Mitsune, and Shinobu watched expectantly, hovering behind the girl as she jabbed at buttons and pulled on levers on her remote control. Still, more of the rubble covered the two girls. Shaking his head, Keitaro grabbed a flat board, and heaved it away, assisted by the robotic arm. As the board tumbled to one side, knocking away bathing gear that had been left out, the two victims of the accident finally came into view.

The falling roof had - apparently - dropped an 'L' shaped bracket nearly straight down, the peak of the 'L' forming a crude protective arch above the girls. One corner of the brown wooden beam was darkened and wet with blood, causing Keitaro to draw his breath in worriedly. Motoko lay, to all appearances merely asleep, beneath the redhead. Oe, for her part, was breathing slowly, a thin rivulet of blood working its way from her scalp across one eye. Motoko lay on her stomach, with Ranma lying atop her on her back, one leg folded carefully up as though to catch something - supporting more of the collapsing rubble, Keitaro realized. Her arm was thrown almost protectively across the back of Motoko's head, and the two were both completely soaked from the leaking cold water elsewhere in the bathing area.

Shinobu's eyes widened at the sight of blood, and she managed to emit only an alarmed, "Auuugh..." before she swooned, collapsing on the floor.

Shaking his head and sparing no time to admire the undressed women, he grabbed at the last bits of wreckage, sweeping them aside. "Suu-chan," he gasped while working, "move that beam upward, please. Narusegawa, Mitsune, if you can, get Ranma-san and Motoko-chan out."

"Right!" Suu exclaimed, uncharacteristic concern apparent on her expression. Naru and Mitsune nodded, far less convinced than Suu, but willing to work. The robotic arm twisted, wide metal clamps seizing the beam, and long pointed teeth digging deep into the wood. Slowly, whining and protesting whirs emitting the whole while, the beam rose. Stepping cautiously over the rubble, and placing his feet in the clear area between Motoko's knees, Keitaro grabbed onto the beam, and hauled upward, adding his strength to that of Suu's machine.

It was plainly obvious to him that the machine was stronger, but his contribution hastened the process, allowing Naru and Mitsune to begin to pull Ranma free. "Thanks, Suu-chan," Keitaro said, releasing the beam and catching his breath.

Suu frowned, punching at some controls, and cried out in sudden alarm, "The hydraulics are going to fail - hurry!"

Gritting his teeth, Keitaro wrapped his arms around the beam, and threw his strength against it again. With a sudden sharp twanging noise and the hiss of escaping liquid, the beam began - slowly - to lower. Ranma was at that point squarely beneath the slowly descending chunk of wood. "Hurry," he gasped. "Where is Haruka-basan? The old woman should be here by now!"

He heard a grunt near him, a pair of slender arms wrapping about the beam ahead of him. "I'm not old," Haruka pronounced, taking a moment to turn her head and spit her cigarette into the bath, having appeared of out nearly thin air. "I owe you for that one - for now, are you going to let a woman prove that she's stronger than you?"

Unable to resist smiling despite the situation, Keitaro shook his head and redoubled his efforts. Mitsune and Naru pulled Ranma completely away from the rubble, leaving only Motoko beneath the beam. "When did you get here, anyway?" Keitaro asked through gritted teeth.

"A woman's got to have her secrets," Haruka countered, straining. But between the two, the beam was held up long enough for Naru and Mitsune to grab Motoko's wrists and drag her away. Sighing in relief, Keitaro and Haruka dropped the beam together, wincing as it smashed through the wooden floor where it was dropped. The beam then cracked, the center dividing and the two pieces - masses of dangerous looking splinters - crashed to the very spot where Ranma and Motoko had lain.

"Wow," Keitaro allowed, dubiously impressed. "Narusegawa, could you and Suu-chan take Shinobu-chan to her room?" The pair nodded, and carefully lifted the fainted girl up. Rubbing at his right shoulder - he knew it would be giving him untold pain later - he stepped through the doorway carefully, looking at the two fallen remaining. "Man," he whispered, shaking his head. They were both breathing, and someone had draped a towel across Ranma, while Motoko was still wearing her uwagi and hakama. Kneeling at Ranma's side, he brushed aside her hair, inspecting the wound. "I read somewhere that head wounds bleed more than any other wounds," he said, frowning. "Obasan, what do you think?"

The woman raised an eyebrow, kneeling at Keitaro's side to inspect the redhead. "That's two I'm going to owe you," she remarked absently. "She should be fine, I think. It's not too deep, and there's not much bruising or swelling, so she's either very tough, or it cut her more than it hit her. She might have a concussion."

Keitaro raised his head to look Haruka in the eye. "Should I call an ambulance?"

"Only if she doesn't wake up tomorrow," Haruka said, shaking her head. "I've seen much worse. However," she announced, drawing a cigarette from an apron pocket, "since the disaster is over for the moment, why don't you see about calling some contractors to fix the damage here, and take care of all the responsibilities, Kanrinin. Kitsune-chan and I will take care of these two."

Nodding, Keitaro rose to his feet, glancing at the wreckage again. If neither of the girls were hurt, at least he had gotten out of sweeping the steps, he thought to himself.

"Oh, and once you have that settled, you might want to look into sweeping the steps. They're a bit dirty."

XXX

Haruka smirked slightly, watching Keitaro trot down the hall towards his room. Allowing her smile to fade, she looked down at the two young women on the floor. After a brief visual inspection, Haruka decided that Motoko would be fine, and turned her attention back to the redhead. "Now you, I haven't met before," she said bemusedly. "Do you know her, Mitsune?"

The pale-haired woman shook her head quickly. "Never met her," she assessed. "Keitaro said that her name was Oe, and she was a new tenant."

"Hmm," Haruka mused, still holding the unlit cigarette in her mouth. "Well, let's move Motoko back to her room - she'll probably wake up soon anyway."

Mitsune nodded, and with a bit of work the slight girl was propped on Haruka's back. Running ahead, Mitsune opened the door to Motoko's room, and set out her futon. Haruka set the girl down on her bed and pulled her blanket over her before leaving.

Returning to the redhead in the ruined bath, Haruka glanced around, frowning. The demolished wall had sent chunks of wood and plaster about the changing room, covering the neatly folded stack of the kendoka's clothing with splinters and muddied plaster powder. In a basket not terribly far away, a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, a tank-top, and a pair of boxer shorts were wadded together.

Haruka narrowed her eyes at the boxer shorts, frowning intently. Mitsune followed her gaze and made a curious noise. "Do you suppose that's Keitaro's?" she asked.

"I doubt it," Haruka said, shaking her head. "I would guess it was Oe's. Well, regardless, let's get her to her room and clean her up."

"She wears boxer shorts?" Mitsune stared at Haruka blankly for a moment. "Must be a new trend, I guess. But which room is hers?"

"Good question." Pausing to consider, Haruka retrieved a lighter from one pocket, and lit her cigarette. After inhaling deeply, she said, "Why don't you ask Keitaro, and I'll clean up the blood first, hmm?"

Mitsune nodded, darting off to find the wayward manager, as Haruka knelt, finding a clean washrag to wipe away the blood. Most of it appeared to come up easily, though with the young woman's red hair it was difficult to tell. The wound, when examined closely, appeared to be less serious than she had originally thought. She narrowed her eyes, scanning across Oe's body carefully. Muscle tone screamed of rigorous training of some kind - she was almost guaranteed to be an athlete, though she was probably something of an adventurer.

Likely Keitaro's interesting life would become a notch more so. Haruka smirked, and turned her attention back to the cut on Oe's head, involuntarily dropping her cigarette from her mouth in surprise. It bounced off of her knee, spun for a moment in the air, and landed in one of the remaining puddles in the changing room with a subdued hissing sound. The cut was already healing, almost visibly closing as she watched.

"I'll be damned," she murmured. "Now you, girl, might have been a rival for me when I was your age."

"Two-oh-four," Keitaro said, the portable phone on his shoulder as he poked his head into the room, his hands full of papers from the small cubby in his room that composed the 'managers office' for the highly casual management. "What was that about age, Haruka...chan?"

Haruka glowered, raising her head to eye Keitaro balefully. "Nothing," she grumbled. "Now get out of here and stop ogling Oe before I tell Naru you were peeping."

The young man retreated, babbling a swift apology, and Mitsune reentered, glancing at Keitaro as he dashed away. "So, um, she's in room two-oh-four. She didn't have a futon, but I found a bedroll and set that out," she offered.

Haruka nodded, grabbing Ranma's wrist, and lifting the young woman to sling her across her back, the same way she had carried Motoko. "Oof," she grunted, staggering for a moment. The girl, for being smaller than Motoko, weighed just as much, which hinted at more than just average muscle density.

"What was that?" Mitsune asked, gathering the clothing from the basket that they had deemed was the redhead's.

"Nothing," Haruka assured her. "So you're sure those are Oe's?"

"Er ... yes," Mitsune hedged. "I, uh, looked through her bag on a hunch - it's full of clothes for boys, so I guess that's just what she prefers to wear."

Haruka snorted, shaking her head, and walking down the hallway. "I'm suddenly glad that she's only on the second floor, is all."

"She doesn't look too heavy," Mitsune opined.

"Weight and size are two different things," Haruka grumbled, walking into room two-oh-four, and allowing Oe to slip to the floor slowly. Rolling the redhead onto the bedroll, Haruka glanced at the heap of disarrayed clothing scattered about the room. "You know, when you go through someone else's things, you generally want to put it back where you found it," she noted.

"I couldn't fold it up as well!" Mitsune protested, pulling a sleeping bag from the backpack. "We'll just tell her we needed to get this out."

Haruka rolled her eyes, unzipping the sleeping bag, and pulling it across the unconscious woman like a blanket. "You've got a bit to learn, I think, Mitsune."

"No more learning for me, thanks - I'm done with school," Mitsune grumbled, striding out of the room.

Haruka smirked, crossing to the windows to throw them wide open, before joining Mitsune in the hall, and closing the door behind her. "Let the poor girl get some air," she said aloud. "I think she'll be just fine in the morning."

XXX

Setting down the phone and sighing, Keitaro rubbed at his temples. "This isn't any good," he mumbled, striding to the hall and eyeing the damaged bathing area again.

"So, Kanrinin, what did they say?" Mitsune asked, popping up behind him suddenly.

Keitaro twitched slightly, and glanced at the woman for a moment before surveying the wreckage again. "I called a few places that do repairs, and thanks to my grandmother, we've got insurance. So someone will be out later today, we should have it fixed within the week, and there's a ... uh ... deductible," he said tiredly. "Why?"

Mitsune blinked, trying to digest that, and worrying about the implications. "Wait ... what's that mean?" she asked hesitantly.

"It means that I have to pay for repairs on this place," Keitaro said quietly. "The person who comes over later today will collect the money after I sign the paperwork, or else they won't agree to work on the place. The insurance company pays anything for repairs that we incur that goes over the deductible."

"Urk," Mitsune noised. "That's ... how much money, Kei-kun? Got any plans?"

He glanced at her, then shook his head. "It's not that bad, Mitsune. We can make it, since we've got a new tenant. Oe gave me three months rent up front, and I can cover the rest - half with my own savings, half with whatever's left in the budget from the other tenants. Why are you curious about this, anyway?"

Smiling guiltily, she shook her head. "I was kind of hoping that while they were fixing things, they could take care of some of the other stuff around the inn - you know, the holes in the outside walls, some of the bad plumbing, or whatever."

Keitaro raised an eyebrow, running through the insurance policy that he'd read in his mind. "We'll see," he allowed. "I don't know for certain, but we'll see."

XXX

Motoko woke suddenly, sitting up sharply and dislodging the blanket that had been thrown across her. "What..." she fell silent, staring about her in confusion. "What happened?" she mused, glancing about the empty room.

Sunlight filtered in through the open window, accompanied by a soft breeze. Furrowing her brow, she rose, carefully folding her blanket, and discarding her outfit. After redressing in a spare set of clothes, she retrieved her sword and headed cautiously down the stairs. She remembered facing off with someone in the baths - someone of formidable martial skill, to use ki the way he had. More importantly, though, Keitaro had mentioned that there was a new tenant. A girl. That girl should have been in the baths, not the man that had been there.

By her reckoning, that meant that the pervert must have done something to her, and therefore needed to be punished. That thought brought her up short, and she shuddered, staring down at her body before stepping off the stairs. Had something been done to her, while she was unaware?

A moment of checking produced no tangible results, so she sighed, hoping that all was well, and stiffened, watching Keitaro walk down the hall with an unfamiliar man in a blue suit. "So as long as it's covered by the insurance, we might as well take advantage of it," Keitaro said, not glancing at Motoko.

"Oh, well, little things that just require spot-work, no problem. We'll even reshingle the roof - going to have to after that boiler explosion - but we can't do anything as extensive as replacing all of the exterior paneling on the same job. I'd like to help you out and all, but that's not really related to the current incident."

The pair of men paused before the door, Keitaro rubbing his chin thoughtfully and nodding. "That makes enough sense - the insurance does cover maintenance, though, so how about opening a separate ticket for whatever's not covered by the first one?"

Crossing his arms over his chest, the man in the blue suit cocked his head to one side, closing his eyes and concentrating. "Well, I'm not entirely sure - there's over five hundred thousand yen in damage that we're going to need to cover already. Honestly, it'd be cheaper if we made the ticket out for a complete retrofit for the inn, and then tacked the boiler explosion on as an accident."

"How much would that cost?" Keitaro asked, scratching his head. "Wait, I think I got it - the insurance says that the retrofit is the cost of the deductible, for us, but I think the additional expense there would only be half of the deductible."

"Sounds about right," the man said, opening his eyes, and uncrossing his arms. "So that means three hundred thousand up front pays for a retrofit, and repairing the bath area. Plumbing's included in the retrofit, and if your boiler went up, probably about half of that's ready to go anyway."

Keitaro sighed mournfully and rubbed at his temples. "I should be happy," he said, "considering how cheaply we're getting off, and all the damage there is..." He bit his lip, considering, then nodded. "I'll do it. The budget will be really tight for a month or two, but according to the records it's been decades since this place has had any major work done."

"Good call," the man said, pulling a small clipboard from the interior of his coat. "Chances are if you didn't, and you got a building inspection, this place could fall short of code. Sign here, and here, and if you can make out a check to me, we'll be set."

Keitaro nodded, signing some papers, and handing over the aforementioned check. "When will you start, and how long will it take?" he asked the man worriedly.

The man shrugged, tucking the clipboard back into his coat. "We'll start Monday - day after tomorrow. I think it'll take about two weeks, but it could go a week over, depending," he said, shrugging again.

"Well, that'll do, then," he assessed, shaking his head. "Okay, thank you very much for your time, Yoshida-san."

"My pleasure, Urashima-san," the man said, offering his hand to Keitaro. Keitaro accepted, and the two men shook hands before the insurance agent turned away and departed.

Shaking his head again, Keitaro noticed Motoko, and sighed. "How are you feeling, Motoko-chan?" Keitaro asked, offering her a weak smile.

"Very confused," the girl said, finally descending the final step to the floor, and looking at Urashima closely. "You seem quite ... capable ... Urashima."

"Thanks," Keitaro sighed, smiling softly. "But, the damage is going to be fixed. Don't know what we're going to do for two weeks, but it could easily be worse. And I knew I could show you that I could be a capable manager for this inn!"

"Very capable," Motoko intoned, eyeing him mistrustfully. "Who are you, and what have you done with the real Urashima?"

"Very funny," he deadpanned, his smile fading. "I need to go through the books, and see how to raise any money we're short."

"Ah," Motoko managed, shifting her feet about uneasily, and not meeting Keitaro's stare. "Well, good luck with that, then, Kanrinin."

"Try not to kill Oe-san the next time you see her, please?" Keitaro asked quietly.

Flushing slightly, Motoko shook her head. "She wasn't there, Kanrinin - there was a boy in the baths, and he was watching me bathe!"

Keitaro raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes! There was a boy, and after staring at me, he exposed himself to me, and when I tried to strike him with one of my techniques, he threw a globe of golden light at me," she stated confidently, crossing her arms over her chest and nodding to emphasize the point.

Keitaro raised the other eyebrow, seeming dubiously unimpressed. "Motoko-chan, can you follow me for a moment?"

The girl nodded uncertainly, as Keitaro led her to the room neighboring Shinobu's - and nearly directly beneath her own. He rapped on the door, and when there was no response, he cracked it open, peeking inside. His face reddened, and he backed away suddenly, gesturing for her to look for herself. Uncertain, and confused, Motoko peeked into the slight gap, seeing only a woman asleep on the floor, sprawled about haphazardly, her blanket pushed off her chest.

Her very ample, and obviously female chest. Her hair was in a similar style, but a completely different color, and Motoko guessed that the girl was quite a bit shorter than the boy had been. "This is Oe-san?" she asked quietly.

"Yes," Keitaro assessed, standing in the hall and looking studiously away.

"I sense something amiss," Motoko grumbled, sliding the door open the rest of the way, and marching into the room. She had scored a hit on the man's thigh - if they were somehow the same person, that cut should remain on the woman. Keitaro poked his head into the room, his eyes bulging as Motoko knelt at the redhead's side, and threw the blanket off.

The redhead only offered a quiet, sleeping giggle as Motoko prodded and poked at the girl's thigh, inspecting it closely. There was a line of something there... Far too shallow to be the cut that she had inflicted, though, and the closer she looked the more she was sure it was her imagination. "This is most strange," she said quietly, poking the woman's leg with one hand, and prodding her chest with the other. Both felt real enough...

"Keitaro!"

The angered cry brought Motoko to attention, and she turned her head to stare into the hallway. Keitaro was frozen in the middle of the doorway, eyes larger around than his glasses, both hands clamped over his nose. A thin trickle of blood worked its way between his fingers, and his eyes turned glassy only moments before a fist slammed into him, launching him down the hallway. His flight was rewarded with a shattering crunch of wood, and Naru's seething form standing where he had been moments prior.

"I swear! Peeping at the new girl! Keitaro is such a pervert," she grumped. Shaking her head, the girl calmed herself and turned to look at Motoko. "Don't you agree..." She trailed off, eyes wide, and stared at Motoko.

Motoko had only time to blink before both Shinobu and Mitsune poked their heads in. "Looks like you got the wrong pervert," Mitsune assessed quickly. "I didn't know you swung that way, Motoko, but really, you should at least wait until the poor girl is awake before you try and take advantage of her."

Realizing her position, and where her hands were in relation to the woman on the floor, Motoko jumped away as though burnt. "That's not it!" she exclaimed angrily. "That's not it at all! I just wanted to make sure that she wasn't the boy who showed up in the baths!"

"I really don't know how you could mistake her for a boy," Mitsune said quietly, glancing at the catatonic form of Naru. "But Keitaro might be mad if he finds out you messed up the bath because you were trying to come onto the new girl, and I think Naru's not going to be too happy, either."

"It's not like that!" Motoko protested violently, standing up straight, her hands balled into fists at her sides.

Suu skipped down the hall and paused before the crowd, glancing inside the room and putting one finger to her lower lip. "Is Motoko-chan going to sleep with the new girl instead of me now?" she asked, worried.

At that, Naru's eyes rolled upwards and she collapsed in a faint in the middle of the hallway, Shinobu only taking a moment to join her. Mitsune's eyes opened wide, as she glanced between Motoko and Suu. "I think I understand now," she said quietly. "Well, I'll let you two sort out your little quarrel on your own." Grabbing Shinobu and Naru each by an arm, she pulled them out of sight, leaving Motoko alone, standing over the form of the still slumbering redhead, with Suu watching curiously.

"Nobody understands me!" Motoko protested.

"Don't worry!" Suu caroled happily. "I'll still sleep with you, Motoko-chan!"

The kendoka sank to her knees, eyes tearing. "Why me?"

XXX

Dizzy from the veritable flood of disaster and confusion that the day had been so far, Shinobu gladly ensconced herself in the kitchen, burying herself in the task of cooking... After a few quiet and pleading questions, Keitaro had crawled through the wreckage of the bathing area long enough to restore water to the rest of the house and shut off the water that would otherwise flood what was left of the laundry room.

Water was essential to both cooking and cleaning, and Shinobu couldn't have her peace without it. Either Keitaro knew and respected that, or he was just too distracted to study, and didn't mind doing chores about the house. She wasn't entirely certain, but in the sanctity of the kitchen, at least, she could focus more on preparing food, and less on thinking about the girl who was bleeding, and later being molested by Motoko. She was certain that there was a good explanation for it, but at the same time, was just as happy not being too near Motoko until things were sorted out.

The shock of seeing blood had left her feeling faint, but the revelation of Motoko's apparent ultimate goal had ... unnerved her and pushed her back into that unpleasantly confusing area where she fainted again. Thinking of it, even later, made her uncomfortably woozy.

Pushing that thought from her mind until the meal was finished cooking, she sighed contentedly and then trundled the meal into the dining room, calling out quietly, "Dinner is ready, everyone!"

The assembled residents of Hinata-Sou - save for Sarah, who was with her father for a few days - trooped in, Motoko uncharacteristically sullen. Keitaro, too, seemed strangely tired - more than the tiredness that hung over him from days on end of studying, and less than the tiredness of failing a test. She bit her lip, remaining silent as the meal bore on. Only Suu seemed to be her completely normal and animated self, polishing off her portion with gusto and then bouncing in her seat impatiently.

"What are we going to have a meeting about, Keitaro? Is it delicious?"

Pushing away his plate, and sighing, Keitaro shook his head. "Well, we might as well get this over with," he mumbled. Everyone turned to regard him curiously, and he stood up, pacing a few steps away before turning back to face the assembled tenants. "Oe's still asleep, so I'll explain this to her later, but the long and short of it is that because of the damage to the inn, we need to hire someone to repair it."

Mitsune and Motoko nodded their understanding, and Shinobu exchanged a concerned glance with Naru. Suu merely blinked eyes bright with interest. "So someone will fix the broken parts of the inn?" Shinobu asked quietly.

Rubbing at his temples, Keitaro nodded. "That's right," he said. "They're coming on Monday, and it will take them two or three weeks to finish repairing all the damage to the inn." Everyone outside of Suu winced at that. "It's also costing an awful lot - about three hundred thousand yen, actually."

Naru winced again, biting her lower lip. "Do we have that?" she asked worriedly.

"Thanks to Oe-san, yes," Keitaro said, nodding. "I ran down to the bank and checked to try and hurry things up - it's already gone through, so that's not a worry. However, the budget's going to be a bit tight for a while and they're going to fix all the damage in the entire inn, not just the bath."

"That's not too bad!" Naru exclaimed. "They can fix that hole between our rooms!"

"Well, that too," Keitaro mumbled. "And the new hole you put in the wall earlier today."

Naru laughed nervously. "Oh, yeah," she giggled. "That. Sorry, Keitaro, I thought that you were-"

"Anyway," Keitaro overrode her, glancing briefly at Motoko, then turning his attention back to Naru, "I chatted with Haruka-basan about this, and this means we're going to have a new rule around the inn."

"New rule?" Naru asked suspiciously. "Like what, we can't beat you up if you're a pervert anymore?"

"I'm not a pervert!" Keitaro protested before calming himself. "No - the new rule is no fighting inside the inn. The budget's going to be rough as it is - if we have to pay for repairs to make sure the inn is up to code all the time, that's just going to get worse. So if there's a need for violence, be sure to take it outside and not destroy the inn."

"So you're saying even if we don't respect you, we should respect the inn?" Mitsune asked, smiling softly.

"Uh ... yeah," Keitaro said, nodding swiftly. "Anyway, I've had a long day. If any of you need to use the bath, you can use the one you gave to me - there's an 'occupied' sign there already if you need it."

"What about laundry?" Shinobu asked nervously. "Three weeks is a long time."

"We'll just have to do it the old fashioned way," Keitaro apologized. "By hand."

Shinobu groaned softly. That was something she wasn't particularly looking forward to. By the expressions on Mitsune and Naru's faces, they were less than thrilled with the prospect themselves. "Why do we have to do this all now?" Mitsune complained. "We've never had any maintenance done on the place before!"

Keitaro stared at her, blinking in confusion. "Then, I guess it's time, then, isn't it?" he asked, before turning away from the table and walking towards his room. "I'm going to bed," he tossed over his shoulder as he disappeared down the hallway. "I have a lot of studying to catch up on."

"He's come a long way from the guy we wanted to kick out, when we first met him," Mitsune noted. "He seems really different today, though."

"He was normal this morning," Naru countered. "It's probably just the destruction of the inn. I guess that we've just never damaged the place that badly."

"Yeah," Suu said, yawning and covering her mouth. "It must be really low on HPs."

"I guess this one was just too much for him to handle," Mitsune said, shrugging. "And they can probably do a better job once they send some cute guys over to start working on the place."

Naru rolled her eyes at Mitsune's comment, and rose from the table. "Well, I want to get some more studying done, so I'm going back to my room," she offered before leaving.

"I wish to finish bathing," Motoko announced, rising to her feet.

"Thanks for the warning," Mitsune replied, rising to her feet. "I'll wait until you're done."

Motoko paused at the doorway, looking back at Mitsune and frowning, but said nothing. Mitsune simply offered one of her knowing grins, and marched off towards her own room.

XXX

Ranma woke up.

Her eyes snapped open widely, then immediately shut themselves again.

Her head hurt as badly as though someone dropped a building on it, and searching back through her memories suggested that was exactly what had happened. She sat up slowly, groaning, and felt at her head experimentally. A slight bump, no serious pain from the bump itself, and no blood.

Good, she decided. It wasn't lethal, and that meant she had some kendoka butt to kick. Climbing to her feet, she was unsettled to find herself naked, once her sleeping bag fell to the floor. Outside her window, the light of the rising sun illuminated the trees, shedding a soft amber glow across the interior of the room. "Sleeping as a girl is the last thing I want in a boys' dorm," she grumbled. "Then again, that crazy chick said it was all girls."

Grabbing a spare change of clothes, she dressed quickly, mulling that over. The manager - and he had been the manager, too; his name was on the forms he signed, and Keitaro was certainly a boy's name - had said that the inn was not co-ed, and had said that he'd read the letter Ranma had mailed. Confident that she was in the right, she rubbed at the bump on her head before sliding open the door and glancing around. The hallway was deserted, a side-door leading outside - a large hole in the wall in the vague outline of a man's body next to it - and the rest of the hall was deserted.

Eyeing the hole suspiciously, Ranma turned away and closed her door behind her, carefully padding down the hall. By the sunlight trickling in from outside, it was very early morning, which made her wonder how long she had been knocked out. She frowned, but heard no one nearby - there was a faint clattering noise from what she guessed to be the kitchen, followed by the soft scents of good things cooking.

"Mmm," she mused, her stomach growling suddenly. Vengeance against the rogue kendoka could wait - food was more important.

Walking silently into the kitchen, she peered around cautiously, surprised to see a small girl hard at work over a boiling pot. She blinked, frowning. The girl was capable, to all appearances, and seemed to know her way around the kitchen. Her short blue hair bobbed slightly as she nodded her head at something or another, and Ranma frowned, sitting at the table to consider things. Thanks to the layout of the kitchen and the dining room, Ranma could easily watch the little girl from her seat.

Something about her manner in the kitchen reminded the redhead of Kasumi, and that brought a whole slew of unwelcome memories. Trying to distract herself, Ranma rose from the chair, still noiselessly, and padded to the entrance to the kitchen, a wide path between a counter and the far wall. "Hello?" she called cautiously.

"It's not ready yet," the girl responded, setting her wooden spoon on a rest and frowning thoughtfully. She turned to face Ranma apologetically, "I'm sorry Haruka- Oh! I'm sorry! I thought you were Haruka-san!"

Ranma frowned, shaking her head. "It's the voice," she assessed. "Everyone tells me I sound like someone else they know."

The girl giggled in embarrassment, dropping her head to stare at her feet nervously. "I'm really sorry!" She stared at her feet for a moment, then shyly raised her face to meet Ranma's eyes. "Um ... I'm Maehara Shinobu," she introduced herself, bowing.

"Oe Ranma," Ranma returned, bowing back to her. Good cooks were to be respected, after all. "So, I suppose that you do all the cooking around here?"

"Yes!" the girl enthused. "When I first moved in, Hina-obasan did the cooking, but no one else did, so I offered to help. She taught me a lot about it, and Haruka-san helped a bit. Now that she's gone, I do all the cooking myself. Sometimes Urashima-sempai and Koara-san help, though."

"Hey, good cooks are hard to come by," Ranma encouraged, glancing around the kitchen. It was formidably stocked, and Ranma was willing to bet that any number of delicious wonders could be created within it. "Aniki could make a mean bowl of noodles," she reminisced. "Taught me how, too."

"Ah! You're a cook?" Shinobu asked, eyes widening, and clasping her hands together. "It would be so nice to have someone who I could share recipes with, Oe-san!"

"Eh ... well, I'm okay, I guess," Ranma laughed, scratching the back of her head nervously. "I'm not that spectacular - I'm mostly really a martial artist."

Shinobu's excitement seemed to lessen slightly at that, and she nodded her understanding. "Aoyama is a martial artist, too," she said, turning to tend to the large bowl on the stove. "But I don't think Aoyama can cook very much."

"Well, I could still show you how to make your own noodles, if you'd like," Ranma offered. "And I can cook okay from a recipe, if you want to take a break from it sometime, or something."

Satisfied with the bubbling pot, Shinobu beamed a smile at Ranma. "I'd like that very much, Oe-san!" she thrilled. "Why don't you take a seat? Everyone else should be waking up soon, and I should be finished cooking in a few minutes."

"Actually, I was thinking of taking a bath." Biting her lip and remembering what had happened, Ranma asked, "Is there still a working bath around, anywhere?"

Shinobu nodded, explaining, "On the second floor, at the end of the hall, there's a private bath. Be sure to use the occupied sign - Motoko might walk in on you."

"Motoko?"

"She's ... the martial artist," Shinobu said apologetically. "Yesterday she-"

"Attacked me in the bath," Ranma interrupted, frowning. "She stays here, too?"

"Well, yes, Oe-san, you see ... ah ... don't be angry just because she's ... different... You just need to be firm and tell her you're not interested in her that way," Shinobu suggested, wobbling slightly on her feet.

Ranma blinked, scratching her head, then nodded slowly. "I gotcha," she said, nodding. "So she was the exception. I guess I could see why the normal dorms and inns wouldn't take her in."

"Oe-san?" Shinobu asked cautiously.

"Ah, it's nothing," Ranma assured the girl, shaking her head. "Not as bad as I thought it was. I'll take a bath and be right back. Breakfast smells really good."

XXX

Shinobu hummed happily, putting the finishing touches on the meal, and pausing to set the plates for everyone at the table. Oe seemed to be a nice new tenant - she could only see the other girls getting along with her. She spoke a little roughly, much like a man, and carried herself with a somewhat tomboyish grace, and there were some rough edges to her, still, but... The redhead was also very beautiful, and Shinobu was a little envious, when she compared her own plain features to Ranma's.

Sighing, she turned around and prepared to carry the rice to the table. She had made more, so the load was a bit heavier than she was used to. Much to her surprise, as she reached for it, a pair of slender hands seized the handles from either side of her, hoisting it clear over her head. "Uh?" she noised, turning around.

Smirking at her, the rice carried easily - as though the entire thing weighed nothing - Ranma nodded at her. "No sense doing all the work yourself," she insisted, carrying it to the table. "Need anything else moved?"

"Ah! N...n...no, Oe-san!" Shinobu protested. "You just got here - you shouldn't have to do my job!"

"It's nothing!" Ranma countered, shaking her head and grinning. "Anyway, the hot water's out, so I figured I would see what I could do here to help you. Maybe you can give me some hot water, later, right?"

"Oh! If you want hot water, I'll put a kettle on right away," Shinobu announced, scurrying to a cupboard to produce one. "I normally make tea in the mornings anyway, but today I forgot! I'm so sorry!"

"Relax," Ranma encouraged, taking a seat at the table, and glancing to the hallway as Keitaro shuffled in, looking like death warmed over. His clothing was disheveled, there were massive bags beneath his eyes, and his head looked as though he'd gotten on the wrong side of a vicious barber, or temperamental modern artist, with spiky jumbles of hair pointed in every direction. The flesh of his face was pallid and drawn, leaving him looking gaunt and beaten, a mere specter of the man she had met the previous day. "Uh... good morning, Kanrinin."

"Stuuuudy," Keitaro moaned, dropping into a seat and collapsing face-first into his breakfast plate. "All night ... so tired ... so very ... very tired."

"That's right," Ranma said, holding out one palm and smacking the fist of the other hand into it. "Isn't there an important pre-test coming up? I need to get to work on preparing for that."

Keitaro straightened up, revitalized. His hair shifted about, lining itself up into orderly, well combed rows, while his clothing seemed to lose the threadbare portions and smudges of ink and food. Color flooded back into his face like bizarre time-lapse footage of a decaying body played in reverse. Suddenly pink and healthy - nearly normal looking - he stood up, clenching a fist in the air dramatically and announcing, "Yes! I've already paid for my test, and this year I'll make it into Toudai for sure!"

Ranma stared at him for a moment, then shook her head. "So, um, Kanrinin, what's the deal with the hot water, anyway?"

Keitaro slumped slightly, while Shinobu brought the rest of the meal to the table and served out a portion to each Ranma and Keitaro. "Oh, well, it's going to take a while to repair, I'm afraid. The upstairs bath works the old fashioned way, though, so you just need to light the fire underneath it if you want hot water."

"Eh, didn't have the time today," Ranma said, shaking her head. "Anyway, now that we got this mostly sorted out, I need to find the local testing center and find a study group." The redhead produced a notebook from behind her and asked Keitaro purposefully, "You know where they are, right?"

While Keitaro rattled off a list of addresses, Shinobu frowned at herself. She had forgotten to serve Ranma. Shaking her head, she served a portion onto her plate, then served herself. Ranma nodded at her thankfully, scribbling down the addresses as Keitaro babbled them out. "If you're looking for someone to study with, Narusegawa and I study together a lot."

"That's fine with me," Ranma agreed, nodding. "I also need to get a job somewhere. Know of anyone who's hiring?"

Keitaro frowned thoughtfully, picking at his plate, and Shinobu noticed as he did so, that Ranma's plate was still spotlessly clean. Wincing at her own shortsightedness, Shinobu served a portion of the breakfast to the redhead and began to eat.

"I suppose you could ask Haruka-basan - she runs the tea house down the stairs - but I don't know if she needs help, or how much she would pay," Keitaro warned. "Other than that ... I'm not sure, but a lot of places around here require experience. Usually a year or two."

"I'm covered there," Ranma assured him, tapping a chopstick against her empty plate. "I've got a lot of references, and tons of experience, thanks to Aniki. But I've been a waiter already, so I want to try something new." She glanced at her notebook as Shinobu whimpered, and served her breakfast. "I'll look around a bit while signing up for the sample tests."

"Okay," Keitaro said agreeably. "Good luck, then, and you have my apologies about what happened yesterday."

Sighing, Ranma shook her head, pushing the plate - still apparently perfectly clean - away from her. "Yeah, well, as long as it isn't a regular event, it's okay, I guess."

"Ah! Oe-san, I'm sorry!" Shinobu apologized. "I kept thinking I gave you something to eat, and then forgetting! Are you mad at me? You don't need to push your plate away!"

Ranma shook her head quickly. "Ah, no, I'm full, thanks. It was delicious, Shinobu-chan." She smiled encouragingly at the girl, before turning to glance up as Mitsune wandered in, trailed almost instantly by Suu. The foreign girl was carrying a small box with numerous odd little wheels and dials across it, staring at it in annoyance.

Mitsune and Suu sat down, while Ranma stiffened suddenly. "Something wrong?" Keitaro asked, pulling his own study book from a pocket.

"Erm," Ranma noised, as Motoko and Naru trouped into the room, taking seats of their own. The kendoka shot Ranma a carefully guarded look, and then pointedly looked away. "Kanrinin, you remember the letter I sent you before I moved in, right?"

Keitaro nodded absently, flipping through his notes. "Yeah," he said, frowning at some scribbling or another. "Er... Yes. Of course." Shinobu watched Keitaro closely between serving the other tenants of the inn their breakfasts.

The young man looked evasively nervous, for some reason, Shinobu noticed. "You remember what the letter said, right?" Ranma pressed.

"Uh ... not off the top of my head," Keitaro said, laughing nervously. "Err ... you're diabetic?" he guessed.

Ranma rewarded the man with a flat stare.

"Uh, you're asthmatic?" he asked, fidgeting nervously with the pages of his notebook.

Ranma's eyes narrowed in unspoken anger.

"Um, you, uh, suffer from epilepsy?" Keitaro attempted, the notebook slipping from his hands and bouncing on the table. It flipped in the air three times before landing on its spine, a stray breeze flipping it open to reveal an envelope - unopened, of course - wedged into the crease between two pages.

Ranma plucked the letter from the table idly, turning it over and examining it closely. "You never even opened it!" she accused, throwing it at Keitaro. The paper spun through the air on edge, smacking Keitaro in the forehead and landing in his lap. Ranma stood up and glowered at Keitaro, while Keitaro stooped to collect the envelope as it fell to the floor.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Keitaro panicked, standing back up and waving his hands apologetically. Ranma's eyebrow ticked slightly as a waving hand landed on her chest, grabbing one of her pronounced curves tightly before he panicked and jumped backwards, knocking Mitsune out of her chair and sprawling atop her.

Ranma cleared her throat quietly, and carefully, deliberately, cracked each knuckle on both hands, one at a time. Keitaro whimpered into Mitsune's cleavage, protesting, "No violence inside! No violence inside!"

"Ah, aren't we being a little friendly this morning?" Mitsune asked, blushing darkly. Naru gently extricated Keitaro from his plight, lifting him off Mitsune, beaming a smile to everyone in the kitchen, and then dragging Keitaro out of sight, walking into the backyard through the kitchen entrance.

Shinobu sighed, shaking her head, and Ranma blinked, taken aback. Before she could ask anything, however, there was a resounding 'thud', and the entirety of the inn seemed to jump a few centimeters upward before settling back down.

Naru walked back in, dusting her hands together before taking her seat again. "Sorry about that, Oe-san," she said, bowing her head slightly. "Keitaro is a bit of a pervert." Naru glanced at Motoko, and added hesitantly, "Though I think you might want to watch yourself around Motoko, too."

The kendoka twitched, her chopsticks snapping in half in her hands. "I was not trying to seduce Oe!" she yelled. "It's not like that!"

Shinobu whimpered, edging her seat slightly closer to Suu, who was watching everything attentively. "No, she wasn't trying to seduce me," Ranma said supportively, shaking her head.

"Exactly!" Motoko said, standing up straight and crossing her arms over her chest. "I've been unjustly accused, and Oe now tells you the truth!"

"She was just trying to kill me," Ranma explained.

"Exactly rig-" Motoko broke off, staring at Ranma in shock. "I never saw you in the baths!" she protested. "I was trying to kill the pervert!"

Ranma took a deep breath, offering Mitsune a hand up and helping the woman to her seat before turning to address the table as Keitaro staggered back in from outside. "I can explain everything," she announced. "If ... sorry, I didn't catch your name?" She turned her head to Mitsune curiously.

"Call me Kitsune," Mitsune said. "What do you need?"

"The letter you stuck down your shirt?" Ranma asked frankly. "It will explain everything."

Mitsune's eyes opened slightly, and she wondered, aloud, "How did you know?"

"It doesn't take that long to get off the floor," Ranma said, smiling. "But if you'd read that letter, and Shinobu-chan would give me the hot water from the stove, I think I can explain everything."

Shinobu nodded, despite not knowing what Ranma needed the hot water for, and quickly fetched it, eager to see some semblance of order restored to the inn.

"Well, let's see," Mitsune murmured, pulling the envelope from her cleavage - where Keitaro had rested only moments before. Tearing it open, she fished out a note, and read it aloud. "To, Hinata-Sou management:

"My name is Oe Ranma, and I am an aspiring student that's looking for affordable housing while trying to get into Toudai." Shinobu smiled at that, while Keitaro and Naru offered mirroring nods of approval. "However, I do have a condition that might cause problems, and I need a stable residence to study, so I want to make sure that everyone understands what this problem is before you agree to let me stay."

"Ah," Motoko said, nodding judiciously. "I knew it."

Ranma shot a dark look at the kendoka, and motioned Mitsune to continue. Clearing her throat, Mitsune read, "I have something called a Jusenkyou curse, and it is triggered by hot and cold water respectively. The reason that this is a problem is that sometimes, while I look like a girl, I am, in fact-"

"A man," Ranma concluded, pouring the hot water from the kettle over her head.

Everyone turned to watch, shocked, as the hot water coursed across Ranma's head, darkening hair from red to black, and causing her entire form to change. Slim, dainty fingers became thicker, while soft palms became callused, innocent blue eyes became a hardened bluish-gray, and the pronounced chest shrank, becoming hard muscle. Where the pleasantly curved woman had been before, there was now a doubtlessly male figure before them now.

They could only stare, stunned, as Ranma bowed politely. "I'm Oe Ranma. Sorry about this."  


* * *

Author's notes:

Wheeee!

The Refuge told me I couldn't write comedy, and they were right. But from the wreckage, some form of dramatic comedy may be salvaged. This chapter dedicated to Ginrai, who made me do it, and Bjorn, who offered a great many wonderful suggestions on how to improve it. 


	3. I'm Not a Pervert!

Ranma smiled hopefully at the assembled residents of the inn. "So now you know what's going on," he explained, nodding, and glad for the calm that seemed to have settled over the room. So calm, in fact, that Shinobu appeared to take a nap right in her seat, slumping across the table.

"Erm," Ranma noised, tensing at the girl's collapse. "Anyway, this has been one big mixup after another, so I'll just take my stuff, get my rent back, and then move along."

Keitaro twitched violently at that. "Um, oh, you don't have to move out," he said quickly. "I mean, they let me stay here, so one more boy - especially one who's a girl half the time - shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"No," Motoko protested, just as quickly. "He's a pervert, even less trustworthy than yourself, Urashima. We can not let him stay here."

"Calm down!" Ranma said, smiling broadly. "There's no reason to be upset! I don't have a problem with moving out - there might not be as good a deal around here in the way of cheap dorms, but I can find another place. No worries, right?"

"Actually," Keitaro said hesitantly, "there's a small, little, nearly negligible, mostly insignificant problem..."

"Well, it can't be that bad," Ranma reasoned, his smile slightly strained.

"Erm... Well, you see, Oe-san, you remember the fight you and Motoko-chan had yesterday?"

Ranma's smile became more strained. "Hardly worth commenting on," he insisted. "I've been through worse, though I usually don't get hit upside the head with collapsing buildings."

"Er ... about that, you see," Keitaro managed, backing away nervously. "Um, I already spent your rent money on repairs, so I can't refund it and I'm really really sorry so please don't hurt me!"

Ranma stared at him blankly. "You mean ... all of my money was wasted because some crazy tomboy wrecked the inn, and now I can't get it back?" He turned to Motoko, furious. "You're saying that just because she attacked me, I have to stay here? Are you serious?"

Motoko backed away nervously at the anger Ranma was radiating, and stammered, "Now, now, now, there's no reason to be upset!"

Ranma growled angrily. "Stupid, violent- Okay. This is your fault. Now how are we going to deal with the problem?"

"It's not my fault!" Motoko countered, overcoming her fear of Ranma's aggressive demeanor. "You were staring at me in the bath!"

"Like that means anything!" Ranma snapped. "I've got a much better looking- No, wait. I'm not going there again." He took a deep breath and finished, "Suffice to say that I've seen better, little girl."

"I am a martial artist, not a little girl!" Motoko yelled. "And I was attacking you for being a pervert!"

"Me for being a pervert? He is the one who made me think that this was a boys-only dorm!" Ranma growled, pointing an accusatory finger at Keitaro.

The manager was standing on one foot, frozen mid-tip-toe towards the back door. "Eh, heh..." he offered lamely, his face a mask of mixed fear and worry.  


* * *

Diamonds in the Rough - Chapter Two - I'm Not a Pervert!

Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine. That's all.

Notes: Divergences should become apparent as relevant.  


* * *

Naru stood up, smacking one fist into the palm of the other hand. "Of course!" she exclaimed, relief flooding her voice. "It's all Keitaro's fault! Now it all makes sense. KEITA-"

"Not inside!" Keitaro protested, cowering before the punch that Naru launched towards him.

"Oh, right," Naru said sheepishly, stopping herself. "Forgot about that. Now, were you just about to step outside, 'Kanrinin'?" she asked sweetly.

"Why me?" Keitaro whimpered.

"Hah!" Motoko exclaimed, pointing a finger and jabbing Ranma in the chest. "Trying to shift the blame, are you? It was your attack that caused such devastation, not mine."

"Not really," Ranma said, staring down at the finger Motoko had jabbed into his chest. "And since you almost attacked Shinobu-chan yesterday, I had to protect her."

Shinobu had just recovered from her fainting spell in time to hear that, and immediately broke down in tears. "She's not a lesbian, she just wants to kill all the girls so she can have the boys to herself!" she wailed. "I don't want Motoko-sempai to kill me!"

"I am not trying to kill anyone," Motoko snapped. "I attacked Ranma, not you!"

"And if I dodged, your attack would have gone right through the wall and hit her," Ranma countered, crossing his arms over his chest smugly. "You're far too irresponsible to be a martial artist. Like Aniki told me, it's a martial artist's duty to protect the weak."

"Aneue said the exact same thing," Motoko growled. "It's one of the primary rules for our school."

"Feh," Ranma grumbled. "Pops said it a lot, too, but when Aniki said it, he meant it. Can you say it and mean it?"

"That does it!" Motoko snapped. "I challenge you to a duel, Oe! The winner will be declared the innocent party."

Ranma grinned. "Suits me just fine," he growled. "Where do we fight?"

"Outside - there is an arena for such things." So saying, Motoko spun on her heel, brushing past Ranma and marching to the door, one hand clenched tightly about the hilt of her sword.

Keitaro edged slowly away from Naru while she was distracted by Motoko. "Does this mean that it's not Keitaro's fault?" she asked slowly.

"Something like that," Ranma muttered, stalking out the door after Motoko.

***

Ranma stood at one side of the small island that Keitaro remembered from his own duel with Motoko. The kendoka stood at the other, facing Ranma intently. The other girls lined the bank of the stream at either side of him, watching with varying degrees of emotion - apprehension from Shinobu, confusion and worry from Motoko, and simple curiosity from Mitsune and Suu.

"So, what exactly happens when you lose?" Ranma asked casually.

Gritting her teeth, Motoko yelled, "I'm not going to lose to you, pervert! Justice is on my side, and I will be proven right."

Ranma smirked, dropping into an easy, relaxed stance. "Okay, then go ahead and take me down - hit me with your best shot."

Motoko charged him angrily, crying out, "Shinmei Ryu - Ougi Zangan Ken!"

Ranma tensed slightly, throwing both palms towards Motoko. "Mouko Takabisha!" he countered, a flaring ball of golden light forming between his hands and launching itself towards Motoko's attack. The vacuum blades met with Ranma's fireball, countering each other in a spectacular explosion, a thin wash of golden light passing through the smoke and striking Motoko.

The kendoka, uncaring, charged through the smoke towards Ranma, sword in a ready position. "I will strike you down, fell minion of perversion!" she declared.

Ranma smirked, ducking her initial sword slash with a lithe and casual grace. "You're all steamed up!" he taunted, pointing to Motoko.

She paused, glowering, and glanced at herself. Where the golden light of Ranma's attack had touched her clothing, it had begun to smolder. "Aaah!" she shrieked, frantically beating the flames out with her free hand, but not dropping her sword.

"Looks like you're going to win this fight for sure," Ranma heckled. "You're absolutely on fire!"

Mitsune clicked her tongue against her teeth. "Motoko seems to be in over her head," she assessed. "What do you think, Suu?"

"I think he's going to do something really sneaky," the girl responded, nodding sagaciously.

"Auuugh ... poor Motoko," Shinobu whimpered. "The strange man is going to kill her!"

"He's not going to kill her," Naru countered. "He doesn't have a weapon, and she's got a sword. She'll win for sure."

"Auuugh ... poor Shinobu," the little girl sobbed. "Motoko's going to kill him, and then she's going to kill me!"

"Motoko is not going to kill anyone," Keitaro declared firmly.

Mitsune eyed Keitaro critically. "Except maybe you, if she loses."

Blanching, Keitaro shouted, "You can do it, Motoko-chan!"

Either unable to hear his comment, or uncaring, Motoko slashed at Ranma with her sword, but he seemed entirely unconcerned, dodging with exaggerated ease.

"Stand still!" Motoko yelled at the man. "It's not fair!"

"Would you rather dance?" Ranma asked, hopping over Motoko's head, and pivoting in the air to land still facing her. "Why not? I'll lead!"

Yelling inarticulately, Motoko chased after Ranma as he led her in slowly narrowing spiral.

"Hmm," Mitsune mused. "He's going to run out of room to escape in a bit if-"

"Hiryuu shouten-HA!" Ranma shouted suddenly.

Motoko froze for a single startled instant. Along the path that Ranma had run, a puff of air, cold enough to make her path through the spiral steam hotly, shot upwards. There was only enough time for the girl to whimper, "Uh-oh," before a sudden violent whirlwind plucked the kendoka from the island, hauling her upwards and throwing her into a massive, churning tornado.

Ranma remained in the center of the storm, head bowed, and one fist raised above him.

"Wow," Suu breathed. "He used the temperature differential to create a vortex that channeled the heat of her own anger against her!"

"So that's why he was teasing her," Mitsune whispered, watching with interest as her hair was whipped about in the high winds.

Ranma heaved a sudden loud sigh, staring upwards. "Man, she was angry," he muttered, frowning. "I think I put a little too much into that one."

"Oe-san?" Keitaro asked cautiously, peering upwards, trying to make Motoko out in the whirling tornado. "Is she okay?"

Grimacing, Ranma shook his head. "Don't know. I'd better go get her down, I guess." With that, he vaulted upwards, riding the wind of the tornado into the air and vanishing after the kendoka.

"Well!" Mitsune exclaimed, smiling broadly at Keitaro. "I like him. If we get to see fights like this all the time, I say we let him stay!"

Naru gaped at Mitsune. "Are you serious?" she asked, unbelieving. "He turns into a girl! He can beat Motoko, our only defense against Keitaro's perversion!"

"He's paid for half the repairs to the inn himself," Mitsune countered, her grin widening. "As far as turning into a girl - just think how much fun that could be!"

"Auuugh..." Shinobu wailed. "Kitsune-san too!"

"Not like that," Mitsune said hastily. "But think about it - you can date him as a he, and then go shopping with him as a she!"

"I want him to stay!" Suu said excitedly. "I want to study him, lots!"

"But...but...but..." Naru protested. Turning to Shinobu for support, she asked, "Do you want him living with us?"

Shinobu sniffled, wiping tears from her eyes, and managed, "I don't know! Maybe he's a pervert!"

"Exactly!" Naru said, nodding and turning to Keitaro.

"But he can't be nearly as bad as all the perverts we already have!"

***

Riding the burst of hot air upwards, Ranma raised a forearm, slapping the flat of Motoko's blade away from his face at the last second as he drew near her. "Yikes!" he exclaimed, flipping about and drifting a meter away from her in the raging whirlwind. "You've still got a lot of fight in you!"

"And you are a more worthy opponent than I had thought," the kendoko countered. Her sword was still held in a ready stance, as her garb fluttered about her, strangely ominous in the updraft.

"Most people I hit with that one give up," Ranma offered, knowing that with the girl's newfound control over her temper, the whirlwind would vanish shortly. "It's a long way down. How are you on landings?"

"If you think to offer me help, you're sorely mistaken to guess that I'd accept it," she growled, holding her sword before her menacingly. "I do not need your assistance."

"Okay, okay," he said, smiling. The brief flare of her temper would feed back into the technique, giving them some time. If she had enough control to simply allow herself to float in the center of the tornado, without it tearing her apart ... that was impressive in and of itself. "Where did you learn to fight?"

"This is not the time for idle chatter," Motoko snapped. "Do you wish to fight further, or will you leave me be?"

"I'm making sure you get down safely," he insisted. "Aniki says, 'Never leave a girl in distress, double for cute ones,' and I think it's good advice."

Anger gave abrupt way to confusion, and the intensity of the whirlwind lessened, lowering them towards the ground, and quickly. Motoko didn't notice, instead growing angry again, and adding more heat to the tornado. Whirling about the periphery of the technique, Ranma's own soul of ice would allow them to hover indefinitely, were things managed correctly.

They had dropped, though, and were now mere meters from the ground. Ranma looked at her expectantly. "Well?"

"You are mocking me," the girl assessed. "Is it not enough that you've shamed me already?"

"Hey!" Ranma protested, raising his hands before him in a placating gesture. "It's not like-"

The second he shifted his stance, the girl calmed to an iciness that rivaled his own, plummeting the last few meters and landing on the ground easily. He dropped to the earth nearby, as she took up a defensive posture. "Oh," he said, laughing weakly, and running a hand through his hair. "I guess that looks kind of like the way you throw a Mouko Takabisha," he joked. "Um, no, look. I don't want to fight you, really. I got enough of that when I was a kid."

"So you're are mocking me now?" the kendoka asked, furrowing her brow.

"I'm not mocking you! Well, I was before, but that's because I needed to make you hot enough to use the Hiryuu shouten-ha."

"A convenient excuse," the girl growled, loosening her defensive stance only slightly. "I do not know your school. Where have you learned such techniques?"

"All around," Ranma said, shrugging uncomfortably. "That trick I got from ... a friend ... from China. I learned kempo and the Saotome school from my pops, but now I study the Oe Ronin-ryu."

"I don't know of that school," Motoko admitted, lowering her sword, and after a hesitant minute sheathing it. "We will call this duel a draw."

"So I did peek at you, but you peeked at me too," Ranma offered, smirking. "Fair enough."

"For the moment," Motoko grumbled. "I am not pleased about this, and you were a very rude man."

"Uh, sorry about that," Ranma laughed, running a hand through his hair and scratching the back of his head nervously again. "I was really angry about the money thing. But it's no big deal, I can live in the woods behind the inn okay, I've done it before."

Motoko looked as though she were about to say something, but dropped her head to stare at her feet nervously. Sighing, she slumped her shoulders, and admitted, "It would not be fair that you would contribute so much, and benefit not at all. So ... I will agree that we should let you stay with us ... until your three months are finished."

"Fair enough," Ranma said, nodding. "Anything else?"

"I would ... be pleased if you could tell me more of your 'Oe Ronin-ryu', Oe-san. I am curious," she mumbled, looking away. "Aneue would likewise be curious to know."

"Eh? Well, if you really want to know... It's a school Aniki made up." He nodded judiciously, eyes distant as he remembered everything he had learned with his brother. "Anyway, it's about learning what to use, and when to use it. Aniki says ... 'take everything you can ever learn, and learn it as best as you can. It's always going to be useful somewhere, sometime.' So, we go around, and everything we can, we learn, and add to the Art. Even simple chores are an extension of the Art, and everything you ever do is training."

"I'm familiar with the theory," Motoko allowed, nodding. "And you actually practice this?"

"Eh, me and Aniki, yeah," Ranma said, nodding. "Er ... I hear the others coming. We must have landed a ways away ... anything you want to tell them?"

"Merely that the duel was a draw," Motoko said, crossing her arms over her chest as the other tenants exploded from the underbrush around the landing site, all of them babbling simultaneously. The little girl with the pale hair seized onto Ranma immediately, proclaiming that she wanted to keep him. Shinobu seemed nervous about approaching either of them, while Naru shook her head sadly. Mitsune watched everything with a broad grin, and Keitaro smiled hopefully.

"So ... I hope you don't mind staying with us for a while," the other man managed, between the excited babble, bowing his head apologetically.

"Yeah ... it's okay," Ranma said, shaking his head. "I really gotta do some stuff, though, and get a part-time job, too, so..."

***

Once things had settled down into some semblance of order, Keitaro sighed in relief, thankful that he'd escaped with minimal damage. Tomorrow was the day that the contractors would be coming in to work on the retrofit for the inn, and it was also the day of another of the important pre-tests. "Study!" he told himself insistently, pulling out his notebook, and turning his attention to a study guide.

After a moment, he heard a scraping and sliding noise, and a panel in his ceiling slid to one side, a familiar face and head of hair poking down to observe him. "Hey," Naru said suddenly, dropping down and flipping over to land on the floor. "Which book are you looking at?"

Keitaro blinked, turning his attention to the book at his desk, and read off the title.

Naru nodded, and consulted a notebook of her own. "What did you get for the long problem on page eight?"

Consulting his notes, Keitaro read, "Uh ... I got variable by seven over three." He looked up to Naru curiously. "What did you get?"

"Variable by three over seven," she grumped. "But my answer key is missing."

"Oh, well, let me check." Keitaro flipped through his book quickly. "Oops. Looks like you were right," Keitaro sighed, shaking his head sadly. "Anything else?"

"No," Naru said tiredly, tossing the notebook up through the hole in the ceiling, and consulting another book. "Want to work on some world history? I'm getting bored of math."

"Sure," Keitaro enthused, smiling. "I'll get some tea - do you want me to ask Oe-san if he wants to study with us?"

"Er ... I suppose," Naru said, shifting her shoulders nervously. "I still think he's kind of scary, though."

Keitaro opened his mouth to say something, but the sudden crash of stampeding footsteps interrupted him. He stared towards his open doorway in surprise, as Ranma - as a redheaded girl again - charged down the hallway, Tamago perched atop her head. Suu skipped along after him, holding a bucket with her signature logo of three eyes on the side. "I just want to have the Suu Mecha Analyst Mark One examine you and find out how you work!" the girl pleaded.

Ranma spun on one foot, the other sweeping through the air above Suu's head and snapping into a metal object soaring after her. The device gave a resounding crunch, and bounced away. "No!" Ranma insisted, shaking her head quickly. "I don't want tests done on me! It's just a Jusenkyou curse!"

"What's a Jusenkyou? Is it delicious?" Suu asked, peering at Ranma closely, and seemingly unconcerned with the destruction of her latest invention.

"I-" Ranma blinked, considering. "Who knows? You don't want to drink something that's cursed!" Shaking her head, Ranma leveled an arm and pointed it at Suu sternly. "Now, don't send more machines after me to try and find out how I work!"

Seeing the extended arm as an invitation, Suu leapt towards the woman, vaulting onto the limb and hanging easily by her knees, rocking back and forth slowly while she prodded at Ranma's shins. "Where does everything go?" she pressed. "I want to know how it works!"

Ranma blinked, staring at the girl who looked up at her, smiling brightly, and running her fingers towards Ranma's feet. "Stop that!" She shook her arm, trying to dislodge the girl, but only succeeded in having Suu grab onto her and scurry about to sit on the girl's shoulders, fingers poking experimentally at Ranma's head.

"But where's it all go?" Suu asked. "How do the colors change? What about the other parts you have when you're a boy? Where do they go?"

"Oh, there's something I was happier never ever ever thinking about," Ranma mumbled, blanching slightly. Keitaro nodded in sympathy, shuddering. "Look, I don't really know about how Jusenkyou works, just the hot and cold water thing. I knew some other guys, way back in the day, who had different curses, but even the smart people I know don't get this. Can you just leave me alone about the curse?"

"Is a curse delicious?"

"Now I know you're just being difficult," Ranma asserted, plucking the girl from her shoulders and setting her down on the hallway. "Tell you what, though. If you behave, and don't bug me, maybe I'll tell you where Jusenkyou is."

Suu debated for a moment, then nodded, and bounced down the hallway happily.

Ranma slumped visibly, sighing, and wiped her forehead, Tamago reclaiming the perch as soon as she straightened, and mimicked her expression. "Oh, heya, Kanrinin, Narusegawa-san," Ranma greeted, nodding at the pair. Tamago waved, and Ranma rolled her eyes upwards, leaving her head level. "This critter a friend of yours?"

"Uh ... yes," Keitaro managed, nodding. "Tamago was a gift from Otohime-chan, he's kind of a pet for the whole inn."

"Neat," Ranma enthused, waggling a finger near the turtle's nose. It extended its neck slightly and released a delighted chirp. "Anyway, looks like you're busy, so sorry for bugging you."

"Actually, we were going to start studying for world history," Naru explained, smiling at Ranma brightly. "Would you like to join us? Keitaro was just going to get some tea."

"Er... maybe later," Ranma apologized. "I don't like spending too much time in my cursed form, and anyway, I need to go and find a job, and register for classes and tests and everything."

Keitaro frowned and watched Ranma walk away before turning to regard Naru questioningly. "I thought you said you didn't want to study with Ranma?"

"It's different when Ranma is a girl," she insisted. "If he's a boy, then you outnumber me, and that's not safe."

"Oe-san is not dangerous!" Keitaro defended. "He was very well behaved, considering that he fought Motoko-chan to a draw so easily."

"I never said Oe was dangerous," Naru evaded. "You said you were going to make some tea?"

***

Atop the peak of the inn's roof, alone for the moment, Ranma carefully faced the city, his back to the building. He flexed his knees slightly, then sprang away, flipping in the air, gripping the peak of the roof with his toes and dancing backwards. Dancing was as good a word as any, though it had taken Kintaro some effort to prove to Ranma that dancing wasn't just for girls and hopeless romantics.

But the careful and graceful motions, evasions, strikes, blocks, they were all fluid ... there were few better words for the whole thing, and the word 'kata' sounded too mechanical, robbed the entire thing of what made it ... the Art. So he danced backward, his own mind and the gentle breeze providing him with a rhythm as he wove back, parrying and striking at an invisible foe, until he reached the end of the roof, spun, and danced backwards again.

"That's an interesting kata," Motoko observed dryly, her hands clasped behind her back.

Failing to notice the kendoka's arrival, Ranma stumbled, falling to one side of the peak and rolling over repeatedly before he could right himself, grimacing. "Didn't hear you coming," he admitted, sighing. "What about it?"

"Very little," Motoko said, shaking her head. "Save... Another might not grasp the significance, but I see something there, Oe. You do not seem the type to run as much as that maneuver would suggest."

"Oh?" Ranma asked, righting himself. "Why do you say that?"

"You have too much confidence, I think," she accused, smiling slightly. "I do not entirely trust you yet despite everything."

"What do you want to know?" he asked quietly. "You've seen my confidence before."

Motoko cupped her hands before her, and summoned a dim flame of her own ki, burning a pure, pale white. "You showed me something, Oe, but it did not stay what it was. Not for long." She studied the weak, flickering flame in her hands for a moment before dismissing it. "I have shown no one else that I can do that much. My blade is required for more."

"I get it," Ranma said, sinking to sit on the roof, placing his hands on his knees. "I show you mine, and you show me yours, right?"

The girl nodded, one hand sinking to rest on her sheathed sword. "That would be for the best," she said. "My own power burns with the pure light of cleansing. What of yours?"

Ranma cupped a single hand before him and concentrated, summing a flicker of his own power to him. It was difficult, but within a minute, a golden-white flame of power danced over his palm. "I'll tell you a story," he said, staring into the flame as though mesmerized. "But I really don't like this story, so don't expect to hear it again, little girl."

"Don't call me that," she said reflexively, before stepping forward cautiously and dropping her hands to her sides from the hilt of her sword. "Very well. Speak, Oe. I will listen."

"There was a boy in a town far away from here," he said softly, staring into the intensifying golden ki-flame. "He had a curse, and you know that curse, but it was the least of his problems." He chuckled, as the flame wavered, then strengthened. "The greatest of his problems was that he didn't know how to control himself. More importantly, he didn't know when to control himself, Motoko-chan." A streak of green crept into the flame, strengthening and widening as he continued. "And he was so sure he couldn't make a mistake that he did make a mistake, and it was a big one."

He turned to meet her eyes briefly, and some connection was made there. Though he couldn't fathom the depths of it entirely at that moment, he knew it was enough that she understood more than he had simply spoken. "And that mistake cost that boy everything that he valued," he whispered, the gold vanishing entirely to the sickly, wavering green. "And everywhere he turned, everything he knew became something else." The first strains of malevolent black crept into the wavering strands of ki-flame. "And he lost something very important to him."

The kendoka swallowed nervously, gaze fixed firmly on the glowing energy, as more of it shifted to dark, wicked flame. "But then ... something unexpected happened." Suddenly, a white mote of light burst into the mottled black and green structure, spreading golden-white light across it, slowly banishing the other colors. "Then the boy met someone who told him it wasn't lost, it wasn't over ... it was just a question of looking at things differently." He allowed the ki-flame to vanish, smiling sadly. "And that's pretty much that, Motoko-chan. This isn't a story I like to tell."

"I ... see," she said slowly, struggling with her words. "But, Oe-san ... you haven't told me everything, I think. There is more that I do not understand."

"That's the way life is, usually," he said, standing up, and shaking his head. "You want to know if I'm evil or something, right? Well, I'm not. If I were, I would have taken advantage of you already, wouldn't I?"

"You should not speak of such things," Motoko said harshly, her face coloring. "And I never accused you of such."

"Bet you thought it, though," Ranma teased, bounding off the roof and dashing across the clothesline where Shinobu was busy pinning up laundry. The man ran effortlessly across the thin wooden supports, gliding past so swiftly that Shinobu didn't notice, save to comment about the wind aloud. The man vanished off the edge of the balcony, leaving Motoko to stare after him in consternation.

Mere moments later, he pedaled his bicycle down the street, swiftly vanishing from sight again.

"Perhaps not evil," she mused, "but something is amiss, and you will not answer my questions." She smiled tapping a finger against her lower lip. "An easy answer occurs to me, Oe-san. My sister will divine your true intents easily enough, though I suspect I know the answer regardless."

***

Once she was done washing laundry, more of a chore than ever, given the lack of hot water, Shinobu carefully set a pair of kettles on the stove. There was no telling how much hot water would be needed around the house, and Ranma would need it even more, given Suu's declarations of pursuing her investigation of the man. Woman. Man. Ranma.

The more she thought of it, the more confused she became, until she finally was able to dismiss it by losing herself in the ever-present task of housework. The laundry would need to be brought in, but before then, the dishes needed to be done, and that meant more hot water.

"Oh, I hope we can have the boiler replaced soon," she sighed, shaking her head.

Suu bounced into the kitchen, carrying a large thermos marked with her traditional symbol. "Where's Ranma?" she asked, looking around and pouting. "I wanted to ask him some questions!"

"I think he's left, Koara," Shinobu apologized, pouring a kettle of boiling water into the sink, and then adding cold water to that. "Oh, this is going to take forever," she sighed, testing the water temperature.

Suu crept over and peered into the dishwater. "What is it? Is it delicious?"

"No, not at all!" Shinobu warned, pushing Suu away from the sink. "It's awful, and now it's worse because we don't have enough hot water."

"Oh! I can fix that!" Suu exclaimed, pulling the cap of the thermos off, and swiftly disassembling it. She only needed a second to recombine a number of the oddly shaped pieces inside before she stuck it on the end of the kitchen faucet and beamed a smile at Shinobu. "Hot water!" she pronounced. "I was going to use this for testing, but he's not here, so you can have it!"

Shinobu peeked at the device worriedly. "How does it work?" she asked hesitantly.

Suu obligingly pointed at the device's three prominent eye-shaped buttons in turn. "Hot water, cold water, self-destruct."

Fearful of the last button, Shinobu pressed the button for hot water, and turned on the sink again. To her delight, steaming hot water began to fill the basin. "Thank you, Koara!" she cheered, clapping her hands together delightedly. "Now we don't have to worry so much about hot water!"

The foreign girl nodded absently, stretching her arms above her head and looking distant. "I was going to give it to Ranma."

Shinobu turned her attention to the dishes, humming happily. "You like Oe-san, Koara?"

"He's really neat!" the other girl said, nodding happily, and rummaging through a basket of fruit on the kitchen table until she found a banana. "I want to see him lots!"

"You like him ... like that?" Shinobu asked, pausing her washing of the dishes long enough to peer at Suu.

Suu was happily munching on her banana, looking out a nearby window. "He's a Ranma, not a Keitaro," she stated, as though that explained everything. Beaming a smile at Shinobu, she flung the banana peel into a trashcan, and skipped down the hall. "He's coming back now!"

***

Taking a break from studying world history, Keitaro stood atop the cleanly swept stairs leading up to the inn, leaning on his broom and staring down at the traffic zipping along the street below. Shaking his head at his self-distraction, he turned about, and began to walk towards the inn again. Without warning, Suu released an exuberant war cry and leapt from the second story of the inn, nearly flying across the courtyard to slam into Keitaro.

Knocked down by the girl's mass, Keitaro slid across the flagstones, back to the very edge of the staircase, when Suu leapfrogged off of his back, hurtling down the steep flight and caroling, "Ranma!"

The man in question had just reached the bottom of the stone staircase on his bicycle and looked up in alarm at the schoolgirl as she eagerly zoomed towards him. His eyes widened, and he spun his bicycle around, the girl colliding with - and latching onto - his back. The momentum launched the pair into the street, Ranma narrowly evading a bus and turning the bike sharply downhill.

Keitaro's eyes widened, as Ranma jerked the handlebars upward, jumping onto the hood of an oncoming speeding car and bouncing off it onto the level stone rim that ran along the staircase. Shooting forward like a rocket, Ranma swiftly piloted the bike up the slope, jumping off a stone or some bump Keitaro couldn't see, but passing directly over his head.

He rolled over and sat up in time to watch the pair come down on the bicycle, Ranma balancing it on the rear tire in the center of the courtyard, a faint ring of dust rolling away across the ground, centered around the bike.

Ranma heaved an unsteady sigh, and allowed the bike to drop to both tires, setting one foot firmly against the courtyard's surface. He stepped off the bicycle, rewarded by sudden applause from Mitsune and Haruka, and gave an uneasy smile, grabbing Suu's arms and pulling the girl off his back. "Don't do that," he warned sternly. "You could get people hurt."

The girl pouted at him, and said, "You said that you would tell me where I could find a Jusenkyou!"

"If you behaved!" he grumped. "Jumping down the stairs like that is not behaving. You could seriously hurt yourself!"

Keitaro coughed pointedly, pulling himself off the ground and dusting his clothes off. "Sorry about that, Oe-san. Suu-chan is a little excitable."

"So where's a Jusenkyou?" Suu demanded, tugging on Ranma's T-shirt sleeve.

Ranma looked askance at Keitaro, then turned to regard Suu squarely. "If I tell you, are you going to go there?" he queried.

"Yes! I need to investigate it! Or, you could let me study you."

"Maybe I'd better not tell you, then," the man mused, stripping off his riding gloves and tucking them into a pocket. "Look, Jusenkyou is dangerous, Koara. It makes jumping down the stairs and throwing us into traffic look like child's play."

"I am a child, and jumping down the stairs is playing!" Suu gleefully asserted. "So, will you tell me, now?"

"Absolutely not! They call it 'the pools of sorrow', and not just for fun!"

"Suu-chan, I think you really should just leave Oe-san alone," Keitaro warned, nodding at Haruka and Mitsune by way of greeting. "Um, but, Oe-san, since you've already met Kitsune, I should introduce you to my aunt, Haruka. Haruka-basan, this is Oe Ranma, our newest tenant."

Recovering his manners, Ranma bowed to the woman. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he intoned.

"Charmed," Haruka said, nodding at Ranma, and glancing at Keitaro pointedly. "Nice job of sweeping the stairs. What happened to the little redheaded number you had moved in here yesterday?"

Ranma shivered uncomfortably and offered the women a weak smile, picking up his bike and inclining his head respectfully to Haruka again. "Well, anyway, uh, I'll see you around," he managed, quickly leaving, trailed by Suu.

"Er... that's a long story," Keitaro hedged. "I don't know if Oe-san wants to talk about it."

"Oh, Kitsune told me everything," Haruka said, smiling around her cigarette. "Just thought I'd warn you that Seta is coming by later, and he's bringing Sarah back with him."

***

Once inside, Keitaro wandered back into the kitchen of the inn, following Shinobu and Ranma's voices, and the occasional question from Suu.

"Oe-san, I'm very sorry about not remembering to make you breakfast," the young cook said insistently. "I have to make something for you tonight to make up for it!"

"Will it be delicious?"

"Heh! For once, that's actually appropriate. Tell me, Koara, why do you ask that question all the time?"

Keitaro rounded the corner and paused, watching the residents chatter. Ranma was standing, looking oddly at ease given the way Suu was latched onto his back, inspecting an ear curiously. Shinobu was in the kitchen, dancing between a number of bubbling pots, wearing a look of fierce determination.

Suu straightened up, crossing her arms over her chest and looking suddenly very thoughtful, considering that she was suspended by having her legs wrapped around Ranma's chest. "It's a specially devised technique to throw people off and learn more about them from their indirect reactions, allowing me to gauge what kind of person they are and study them better."

Ranma blinked, twisting his head to one side to try and look at the girl. "That makes sense," he said quietly. "But you stillwant to go to Jusenkyou?"

The girl nodded excitedly. "We can test the effects of a Jusenkyou on Tamago!"

"Koara, I don't think that Tamago would like that," Shinobu warned, tapping the side of a pot with a wooden spoon. "If Oe-san can beat Motoko, and he says that it's dangerous, you should be careful."

Smiling, Suu declared, "Then I study a Ranma more than a Jusenkyou!"

Ranma sighed, as Suu leapt off of him, and ran away. "It's probably for the best," he commented, smirking slightly. "What's up, Kanrinin?"

"Er ... not much," Keitaro said, laughing nervously. "Did you sign up for tomorrow's pre-test?"

"Nope, they closed admissions since Friday, so I was too late," Ranma said, shaking his head. "I have an appointment for the next one, though. Oh, I did get a job. I start on Wednesday. Why?"

"Well, if you're not busy," Keitaro began, sidling closer to Ranma, and lowering his voice slightly, "I need to stay here to talk to the contractors tomorrow, but I also have to go to the test... Since you didn't make it, I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor."

Ranma grimaced, then nodded. "No problem, Kanrinin," he declared. "I'll watch over the inn for the day. Anything else?"

"No, no," Keitaro said, shaking his head quickly. "I'm already asking you too much, Oe-san. Thank you very much."

"Well, shouldn't be that bad," Ranma reasoned. "Anything else I should know about it?"

Keitaro shook his head absently. "I don't have a cell phone, or I'd give you my number. But I might be able to make it back from the test with enough time that I can take care of it myself."

"What if they ask me for any information about the inn?" Ranma asked, raising his arms over his head and stretching casually, then whipping out his notebook and poising the pen over the paper.

"Er... I guess I'll go ahead and give you a quick rundown, then," Keitaro reasoned, gesturing towards the damaged section of the inn. "What we want done is..."

***

Shinobu frowned, turning the stove off, and allowing everything to sit for a minute. It would need that time to cool down, and she needed that same time to think. While a part of her mind wanted to label Ranma 'strange', and possibly 'pervert', given Ranma's circumstances, he seemed relaxed and calm. Certainly, with Suu around he nearly felt ... innocent, truthfully.

It hadn't taken much time of being in the same room with him to warm up to him. He was similar to Keitaro in so many ways - but much calmer in some respects. She smiled, until she remembered his battle with Motoko, and shivered. And much more temperamental in others.

She couldn't fathom how he put up with Suu so good-naturedly - she'd heard from Mitsune about the misadventure involving Ranma's bicycle and heavy traffic - and yet lost his temper against Motoko. When he challenged Motoko, he insisted it was to ... defend her, actually, she realized, her face warming up as a blush crept across her cheeks.

How was that any different from what he had done to protect Suu and himself, all told? Perhaps it was simply that Suu had put herself in danger, while Motoko seemed to accidentally put her in danger? She considered that for a moment before shaking her head. Motoko wasn't the kind to recklessly endanger the lives of any resident of the inn, with the possible exception of Keitaro himself.

Even then, she had to question the kendoka's sincerity for those efforts; she seemed to have some minor affection for Keitaro, even after all her complaints. So much to consider, and so little of it made sense!

She sighed, shaking her head and looking up as Naru stepped into the room, glancing back over her shoulder towards the ruined bathing area. She paused for a moment, extending the glance into a lingering gaze before shaking her head and taking a seat at the table. "How much longer will dinner be?" she asked Shinobu, idly thumbing through a study guide.

"Oh, ah, it's ready now, actually," she said apologetically, grabbing a stack of place settings.

Keitaro and Ranma wandered back after that, Ranma first, and Keitaro with Tamago perched atop his head. "So, that's about it, I think," the manager concluded, smiling nervously.

"No sweat," Ranma replied, snapping his notebook shut and tucking it into his waistband. "If I forget, I have it written down. Dinner smells delicious, Shinobu-chan."

"Ah! Um, thank you, Oe-san!" Shinobu set the stack of plates at the table, and was pleasantly surprised when Ranma quickly spread them to each place before glancing at the kitchen.

"You need help carrying anything?"

"N...no, Oe-san, really, you mustn't," Shinobu insisted, striding quickly towards the kitchen. "I have to make up for forgetting to give you anything at breakfast!"

Shinobu glanced up from the first of the dishes in time to see Ranma look vaguely guilty before he looked away, adjusting his crimson headband. Naru and Keitaro conversed in low tones about Naru's notebook, as Mitsune and Suu wandered in, each taking a seat to one side of Ranma. Suu grinned at Ranma, blinking curiously, while Mitsune cocked her head to one side, both of them studying him intently.

He shifted his shoulders uncomfortably, and Mitsune picked up her glass of water, sloshing it about idly. "Hey, Ranma, how much water does it take to make you change?" Suu asked, leaning forward intently.

"Oops!" Mitsune exclaimed exaggeratedly, the contents of her water glass escaping and dousing Ranma thoroughly.

Ranma sighed, adjusting his- no, adjusting her, now- headband slightly. "Not much," she commented wryly, as everyone turned to stare at her in surprise.

Motoko strode into the room just then, raising an eyebrow, but otherwise saying nothing and taking a seat opposite Ranma.

"Dinner's coming," Shinobu announced, shaking her head, and bringing out Ranma's plate first. "I made you some extra, Oe-san, since I forgot this morning."

Ranma looked distinctly uncomfortable again, for some reason, and smiled weakly. "Um, thanks, Shinobu-chan," she said, laughing nervously. "It looks great."

"Oooh!" Mitsune cooed, smirking broadly. "Shinobu, do you have a crush on the new boy?" She chuckled, eyeing Ranma closely. "Or girl, at the moment?"

"Auuugh!" Shinobu wailed, distraught. "No! I wanted to make Oe-san something special! To make up for not giving her anything this morning!"

"He," Ranma said softly. "I'm a guy."

"Don't feel much like a guy," Mitsune commented, groping Ranma's chest casually. "Hmm, almost as big as mine," she murmured. "Not bad!"

Ranma twitched, hands in the air assuming claw-like shapes as one eyebrow ticked furiously. "Please don't do that," she whispered.

Mitsune hastily drew her hands back, waving them in the air before her. "Just checking! Just checking! Motoko got her turn to see if they were real yesterday!"

Eyebrow still ticking, Ranma turned her attention to Motoko, who shook her head furiously, waving a hand at Ranma in a warding gesture. "I was just checking to see if you were a man!" she protested. "After seeing you in the baths, I was curious!"

"Her hands were a bit lower than your chest, as I remember," Mitsune noted, her smile returning. "Isn't that right, Keitaro?"

The man was staring with wide eyes, glancing between the women assembled at the table rapidly and clapping his hands to his nose. "I don't remember!" he protested, shaking his head quickly. "I just remember that you had no blanket on and Motoko-chan's hands were all over you!"

"Auuugh!" Shinobu wailed again. "She is a pervert!"

"I am not!" the kendoka yelped, jumping to her feet. "I was just checking to see if Ranma was a man!"

"I'm sure that's all it was," Ranma said loudly. "Now, can we stop talking about this and just eat?"

Everyone halted, and turned to look at Ranma speculatively.

"Please?" the redhead added, looking surprisingly haggard.

"Er... yes, Oe-san, I think we could do that," Keitaro announced helpfully, before anyone else could speak up. "I think, after all that you're doing for the inn, it's the least we could do. Right, Narusegawa?"

Shinobu swallowed nervously, calming herself, and turned to look at the girl in question, but Naru was frozen, nearly statue-like, staring forward blankly with her mouth halfway open. "I'm sorry," she giggled, snapping out of her daze instantly. "I thought I heard something funny. About Motoko."

"Right," Ranma said, pushing the empty plate away from her. "I'm going to go train for a bit, then hit the sack. Thanks, Kanrinin. Dinner was great, Shinobu-chan."

The redhead rose, bowed politely to everyone, and marched out the back door.

A long minute of silence hung over the tenants after that, finally broken when Suu inspected Ranma's plate curiously, and asked, "When did he eat? I didn't see a thing!"

***

After pausing for a moment to steal some hot water - someone had left the small bath on the second floor warm - Ranma balanced on the rail off of the laundry balcony. He could just barely hear the other residents chattering in the distance, too indistinct for him to make out their words.

The entire weekend had been an irritating ordeal, but he found it hard to hold it against the residents of the inn - for the most part, he could tell that they meant well. Allowing his body to slip into what he thought of a graceless - mindless, really - kata, he tried to focus his thoughts and impressions of the people he would be living with ... at least for three months.

Shinobu was cute, for being a child, and seemed to be the major domestic influence for the household. Ranma furrowed his brow at that, punching the air, and spinning, then filing that thought away to consider later. There was something there he didn't want to think of just yet.

The pale-haired Suu was also cute, and very excitable. Her sense of curiosity was something of an annoyance, but she meant no harm, and Kintaro had taught Ranma nothing, if not to respect curiosity. How were they to learn if they weren't curious? If she could calm down just a bit, Ranma expected he'd come to like her quite a lot.

Curiosity and scheming from Mitsune struck close to home for Ranma and reminded him far too much of a girl or two that had gotten the better of him in the past. Curiously, Kintaro had a knack for looking like an idiot near them and still getting the better of them, but those were abilities that Ranma knew he had not grasped. Nor did he expect to. While the woman probably didn't mean any harm, something about her made him nervously uncomfortable, and he resolved to watch himself around her, wherever possible.

The other woman, Narusegawa, was obviously used to being the center of attention, probably through Keitaro, unless Ranma missed his guess. He was thick about that once, and had made a point of learning better when the opportunity had presented itself. He couldn't tell much about her, yet, but she seemed fairly unobtrusive, and he couldn't see himself not getting along with her. She seemed to have something of a temper, though that too was one of the mental territories Ranma would have preferred not to tread, as it reminded him of someone else.

Ranma stopped his kata and sank to a sitting position on the rail, rubbing his chin. How long had it been since he'd even thought of her? He closed his eyes for a moment, leaning back and staring up, as the sun began to touch against the horizon.

...A peal of thunder crashed in the distance, but not so far away that it couldn't still be heard, occasional bolts of lightning providing scattered, rare illumination. The ruins of wood and jagged timber glowed faintly with the aura of mist from the heavy rainfall, the constant sound of drumming water only broken by the sounds of breathing, and more slow rumbles of thunder. Her wide eyes met with another pair, raw shock met only by intense anger...

Not long enough, he decided angrily, pulling himself back to the present, and throwing himself into the kata once more, force and power ruining whatever grace he'd once had. Slowly, he recovered his temper, at least externally.

"Oi."

The next tenant, after all, was Motoko, and as a martial artist, she picked up on things Ranma didn't feel like discussing. The last thing he needed was more questions from her, as eager as she was to jump to conclusions. She wasn't half bad, as far as martial artists went, and she had said her ki - her very life force - burnt with the white light of purity. More pure than his own life was, at least.

"Oi!"

Still, he wasn't sure how well he'd manage to deal with three months of living near her. She'd given in soon enough when they dueled, but Ranma didn't look forward to constantly battling her, as he knew he'd need most of the time he would have soon simply to study. Perhaps some form of longer truce could be arranged between them, but he had no idea of how to go about it just yet.

"Hello!"

And that brought his thoughts full circle, back to Shinobu, and the already raw memories that Naru brought up in him. He'd want to avoid both of them, he'd guessed, until he had enough time to sit down and think things through. It had been too much of a trying time for him to subject himself to people who brought up that much pain inside him. Kintaro had warned him there would be days like that.

"HEY!"

And then, of course, was the question of how well he'd be able to afford rent while still studying for college, once he moved out of the Hinata-Sou. He imagined he could survive well enough in the woods - he and Kintaro had before, and he was used to it from long before he'd met Kintaro, truly - but the trees weren't completely adequate for the purposes of studying.

"CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

The cry caught Ranma off guard, and he turned around, stumbling. His hand brushed perilously close to someone's face, pulling off a pair of spectacles and throwing them to the deck, while Ranma tried to recover his balance - and his temper. Too much focus, he decided belatedly, frowning at the newly arrived man.

The man blinked, surprised at the loss of his glasses, and immediately took up a fighting stance. "Is this a challenge?" Ranma snapped.

"Well, if you want it to be," the man replied, nonplussed. "I'm always up for training!"

Not giving the man enough time to react, Ranma launched a fierce uppercut to the man's jaw. To his surprise, the man stepped to one side, then slipped inside Ranma's guard and shoved him forcefully backwards. The blow sent him tumbling through the air and he landed on the deck, crouching. After sliding for a meter and a half, Ranma launched himself at the man, aiming a punch at the man's midsection and following through with a spin-kick to his knee.

The man blocked the punch nearly effortlessly, then jumped over the kick, retaliating with a blow to Ranma's hip. The palm-strike staggered Ranma, and he reevaluated his opponent. Obviously he knew a thing or two about fighting, one way or another. "Oh!" he exclaimed, nodding at Ranma happily. "Not too bad! A little slow and unfocused, but not bad at all!"

"You want me to stop holding back?" Ranma asked, raising an eyebrow.

"By all means!" the man said, nodding his head and gesturing Ranma to come closer. "I see you have admirable kempo skills."

"Oh?" Ranma asked, furrowing his eyebrows, and charging up towards the man quickly, halting just outside his range. "Jeet-kun-do?"

"That's a good part of it," the man admitted, nodding.

Ranma grinned, rushing the man again, throwing a dozen quick punches to the man's sternum and following up with a footsweep. Blinded, missing his glasses, and grinning like a fool, the man deflected each blow with casual ease, kicking Ranma's leg as it extended for a footsweep and neatly reversing Ranma's maneuver.

Slamming to the wooden deck, Ranma raised his eyebrows and somersaulted away. "Damn," he murmured. "How do you move so fast?"

"It's simple, once you know the trick of it," the man assured him. "I note a definite Chinese influence to your training."

"It's good stuff," Ranma said defensively, jumping to the ground before the man, hands first. Planting himself firmly on the deck with his hands, he sprang away, launching his feet in a powerful thrust towards the man's head. Ducking, the man allowed Ranma to pass over him, evading the blow and standing up in time to watch Ranma rebound from the side of the inn, flying towards the man again, this time fists-first.

The man's block failed, and Ranma scored a hit to his shoulder, sending the man spinning away a half-meter. "Very good," the man said ruefully, rubbing his shoulder, and shifting his stance. "Again?"

Ranma nodded, and led in again, each punch met with a near deflection, or a careful block. It only took a few moments for Ranma's control to return to him, his anger fading in the joyous release of tension that the combat allowed. He wouldn't admit it, or at least he felt he shouldn't, but he loved to fight, even though he knew how dangerous it could be. If not to himself, then to others.

The man nodded his approval silently and began to counterattack, forcing Ranma to speed up his own attacks and add blocks to his movements. Grinning, the man picked up the pace again, until the air between them buzzed with the constant motion and Ranma was hard pressed to focus on which strike was coming next. Worse, the man's strikes didn't follow a pattern he could recognize easily, which made deflections difficult.

"You're good!" the man exclaimed, still grinning. "I haven't had such fun in a while!"

Ranma grit his teeth, pushing himself harder. Had he let himself go? He'd spent a lot less time studying martial arts, as compared to other areas of study - odd jobs, whatever seemed useful at the time - but he still tried his best to keep his body in top physical condition. The slow burning sensation of exertion began to suffuse his shoulders, and he countered the man's seemingly endless upper-body stamina with an attempted footsweep.

In response, the man slowed, but only slightly before he threw out a footsweep of his own. Ranma hopped over it, focusing all of his strength and ability on throwing more punches, and faster, while airborne. The man was rebuffed for a moment, but Ranma couldn't maintain the pace for long, and knew he was readily wearing himself down. If he were going to win, he would need to use a trick, as he had when...

He cut that thought off. The days of serious challenges were over, in his mind. While he had attacked the man outright, the man didn't seem to think of it as anything other than sparring. Why make the fight more serious than it had to be?

The man seemed to notice Ranma's slowly flagging attacks, and swiftly moved inside Ranma's guard, a quick kick knocking him off his feet, and a number of strikes slamming him to the wooden deck painfully. He rolled a few steps, then coughed, and laughed ruefully. "I deserved that," Ranma said after a moment. "Um ... sorry I attacked you like that."

Heaving a sigh, the man wiped a sheen of sweat from his brow, still smiling. "Not at all!" he insisted. "My glasses are nearly unbreakable - they've been through more fights and car accidents than I can remember, and it was great fun! I'll admit, I'm going to be feeling this session tomorrow, but for a challenge like you, it was worth it."

Ranma climbed to his feet, wincing at the bruises across his left side, from the final set of blows, and grinned. "Oe Ranma," he said politely, bowing.

"Noriyasu Seta," the man introduced himself, bowing back and plucking his glasses from the deck as he did so. Putting them back on, he peered around for a moment, then smiled even more widely. "Hello, everyone!"

Ranma turned around hesitantly, not completely surprised to see everyone assembled at the edge of the laundry area, staring in various states of shock. Haruka blinked twice, shutting her mouth a bit too late, and allowing her cigarette to fall to the wooden deck.

Motoko simply stared, jaw hanging open and eyes wide. "You...you...you... You were holding back!" she protested, shaking with anger. "That's not fair!"

"What?" Ranma asked, frowning. "Well, you couldn't handle me if I went full out."

"Yes, that sounds about right," Seta assessed, nodding. "Motoko-chan probably couldn't beat Oe-kun without a lot of practice. But Oe-kun, you could be better, too."

"I know," Ranma said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "I haven't gotten in any real fights lately, and my training isn't everything it could be."

"Oh? Well, who's your teacher?"

"Oe Kintaro helped me train," Ranma said hesitantly, "but ... the man who actually taught me most of my skills was named Saotome Genma."

"Hmm," Seta mused, rubbing his chin. "That name seems familiar, for some reason."

"It's not important," Ranma said quickly, shaking his head. "But, um, do you think we could spar again sometime?"

"Wait!" Motoko protested, her eyes narrowing. "You mean our duel this morning wasn't a 'real fight', Oe?"

"Er ... not really," he said apologetically. "You're better than one kendoka I knew, but you got a long way to go before you have what it takes to beat me."

Seta laughed loudly, placing his hands on his hips. "Oe-kun sure has a lot of confidence for someone I just beat!"

Ranma winced. "About sparring?"

"No! You can't spar with Noriyasu!" Motoko complained. "That's not fair! If he spars with you, then you have to spar with me!"

Considering that briefly, Ranma nodded. "Sounds good to me. What do you think, Noriyasu?"

Seta rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then nodded. "Why not?" he asked. "I have some time this week. I really only came by to see Urashima-kun and drop off Sarah, but for a few matches, that would be fun."

"Wait," Motoko mumbled quietly. "What have I just gotten myself into?"

***

"I thought Motoko was strong," Naru said, her voice subdued. "I've never seen a real-life person move that fast."

Mitsune nodded, glancing out the doorway to Naru's room before sliding it shut. "Oe sure is strong, too," she mused. "I wonder if he's seeing anyone?"

"With his curse?" Naru asked skeptically. "I doubt it. But I'm worried - we used to have such a peaceful and happy inn. Now that Oe has moved in, there's so much violence!"

Mitsune raised an eyebrow, saying nothing.

"And I'm really nervous about letting Oe stay here, too. He's stronger than Motoko - so who's going to protect us?"

A slow grin formed across Mitsune's face, and she looked at Naru speculatively. "Well, if you don't want him, I could take Ranma, and he could protect all of us."

Naru blinked in surprise. "Kitsune? Are you serious?"

"Maybe," Mitsune said neutrally, sliding the door open and stepping into the hall. "He did manage to pay for three months up front, and he doesn't seem very broken up by the loss ... he could be loaded!" She smiled at that, not quite meeting Naru's eyes. "But you have a test tomorrow. Better grab some sleep while you can!"

***

"Study, study, study, study," Keitaro chanted tiredly, flipping through his math notes again. "This time for sure."

Finally reaching the end of them, he sighed, shutting the book, and falling backwards. His eyes tracked across the ceiling listlessly, a dim corner of his mind pondering where Naru was in relation to him before he shook his head. "Focus," he mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

He felt bad about Ranma's first impression of the inn - first, he was attacked by Motoko, and stuck at the inn because of the repair fees. Then, he couldn't get into the pre-test, because he was too late. As if that weren't bad enough, Keitaro had dumped the responsibilities of managing the inn - even if it was only for a day - onto him.

The longer he thought about it, the guiltier he felt, until he remembered Ranma and Seta's sparring match. He had never seen a person move so quickly - unless it was Naru after she'd caught him peeping on her. Maybe Ranma, as a martial artist, would prefer a challenge like that, and have fun, but even if that were the case, Keitaro wasn't certain that it made up for everything that had been piled up on the man since his arrival.

Then again, his own arrival wasn't easy, as he was plagued with variations on 'Operation: Get Keitaro Kicked Out' and the like. Furrowing his brows, he sat up, uncrossing his arms. That wouldn't do - the other tenants simply had to agree to let Ranma stay. Keitaro didn't have any way to pay Ranma back the difference on his rent, and wouldn't for at least two months, more likely than not. He suspected he could ask his parents for help, but was unconvinced that it would be a good idea, in the grand scheme of things.

Climbing to his feet, he paced back and forth in front of his door. Something needed to be done to make things up to Ranma. And, when Keitaro thought about it, new or not, he didn't know Ranma as well as the other tenants. It would make sense, then, to offer to take Ranma out to lunch somewhere to thank him for his help, and chat with him a bit - learn more about him.

Yes, that would work.

***

On the other side of the inn, Ranma slumped against a wall, watching Motoko and Suu tiredly. Motoko was all-but bristling with anger, and Suu had her arms crossed over her chest, grinning with confident resolve. "You can't sleep with him!" Motoko protested, waving her arms in the air. "Suu! He's a man, you're just an innocent girl! He would do such things - you can't!"

"Sure I can!" Suu chirped, latching onto Ranma, and nuzzling his side with her check. "I must study the sleeping habits of a Ranma to learn more about Jusenkyous."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Ranma asked cautiously.

"No!" Motoko yelled. "Not at all! Suu, don't sleep with that man. Come and sleep with me instead!"

Mitsune and Shinobu, alerted by the noise, peeked out from around a corner, and boggled at the spectacle. "Oooh, there's a quandary," Mitsune observed. "Would it be better to let her sleep with a man who's probably six years older than her, or a woman who's only three years older than her?"

"Auuugh..." Shinobu whimpered. "Not again! Motoko is trying to seduce Koara!"

"And Suu's trying to sleep with Ranma," Mitsune added, smiling. "How will they solve this, I wonder?"

Motoko and Ranma both blinked and glanced sidelong at Mitsune and Shinobu. "Ah ... perhaps I will allow Suu to share a room with you for tonight," Motoko said slowly, "if you will allow me to remain in the room as well."

Mitsune gasped, her eyes widening. "That's not much of an answer!" she protested. "That's even less responsible!"

Shinobu whimpered a second time, and swooned to the floor.

"I don't want both of you in my room when I'm trying to sleep!" Ranma complained. "Look, since you're so concerned, I'll just get some cold water, and sleep as a girl. Then nothing can happen between us." He paused for an exaggerated minute, eyeing Motoko up and down. "Provided you aren't there, at any rate."

Motoko nodded her agreement before realizing the insult that she had been given. "Wait!" she protested. "Where's the cold water?"

Ranma rolled his eyes, and stomped away, returning a few minutes later as a woman again. "Better?" she asked. "Suu, don't you have any pajamas?"

The girl nodded, and grabbed the hem of her blue skirt, tearing it and her middy blouse off with glee. Improbably, she was wearing a long-sleeved pajama shirt and pajama bottoms beneath, though it hadn't appeared that way before. "Ready!" she announced, hugging Ranma and nuzzling her face against the redhead's side again.

Ranma and Motoko stared in surprise for a moment, then shook their heads and turned to face one another again. "Now," Ranma asked, "is there anything else?"

Keitaro rounded the corner, glancing about. "Suu-chan," he warned, "you shouldn't leave your laundry lying on the floor." The girl released Ranma, stooping to collect the garments, while Keitaro turned his attention to Ranma. "Oe-san, I wanted to thank you for everything so far, and for what you're doing tomorrow. I was wondering if you would like me to take you to lunch to thank you for it."

"Er ... nah, that's okay," Ranma said, shaking her head.

"Well, maybe dinner, then?" Keitaro pressed. "I feel like I owe you something."

Ranma frowned, crossing her arms beneath her chest moments before Suu latched onto her again. "Well, dinner's not really my thing, Kanrinin. I mean, meals are fine and all, but ... heh ... you've seen how I eat, haven't you?"

"That's true," Keitaro admitted, chuckling ruefully. "Well, what would you suggest?"

"For what I'm doing?" Ranma asked, tilting her head to one side and looking at Keitaro speculatively. "Hey, how about we just go somewhere for tea and get to know each other a little better?"

Keitaro beamed a smile, nodding. "That would be great, Oe-san! I'll see you tomorrow after the test, then. Rest well!" With that, the manager of the inn ambled away, humming tunelessly.

Motoko stared, frozen with shock, while Mitsune gaped with wide eyes. "I didn't know the curse was that complete," she managed after a moment. "Oe?"

Ranma glanced at her down the hall, one hand absently ruffling Suu's hair. "Yes?" she asked.

"You ... would do that ... with Keitaro?"

"Well why not?" Ranma asked, frowning. "I mean, yeah, I'd like to get to know him better and get more settled in before I do it, but there's too much money in this to just blow him off."

"So that's how she paid for the repairs," Mitsune mumbled.

Ranma blinked, confused. "What?"

"Ranma, I'm tired," Suu protested. "Let's hurry up and get into bed."

Nodding, Ranma knuckled back a yawn, and slid open the door to her room. "Good idea, Suu-chan. I'd better rest up for tomorrow. I'm going to be having to handle Keitaro..." The rest of her explanation was cut off as the door slid shut behind the pair, Motoko and Mitsune still gawking at the closed door.  


* * *

Author's Notes:

Special thanks to Bjorn for his in-depth and wonderful C&C on chapter one, along with Mr. Sommer! 


	4. Call Me Master

Ranma woke up with the first lights of the rising sun turning the walls of her room golden, running with a soft amber glow. She stretched carefully, mindful of the silver-haired girl cuddled up against her, and muffled a yawn. "Morning, kiddo," she said sleepily.

The girl scrunched up her face, even in her sleep, and pressed her face against Ranma's side, mumbling, "Aniki..."

The small amount of annoyance left at having to sleep as a woman to satisfy Motoko's temper faded, and Ranma sighed, ruffling Suu's hair gently. "Come on, time to wake up."

"Too early," the girl mumbled. "Motoko-chan sleeps longer."

"None of that, now," Ranma said sternly, sitting up, and dislodging the sleeping bag she was using in lieu of a blanket.

The cold air struck Suu, and made her shiver, pouting at Ranma. "Still tired!" she protested.

"Well, you can either go sleep in your own room, or stay here, but I've got things to take care of - like finding hot water."

Sighing, Suu nodded, climbing up off the bedroll, and stretching. "Morning, Ranma!" she exclaimed, suddenly much more cheerful.

Ranma shook her head, running a hand through her hair. "You rest well?"

"Ranma talks in his sleep," Suu assessed, nodding knowingly.

The redhead tensed uncomfortably at that. "What about?" she asked cautiously.

"Eight treasures," Suu said, frowning. "What's that? Is it delicious?"  


* * *

Diamonds in the Rough - Chapter Three - Call me Master

Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine. That's all.

Notes: Divergences should become apparent as relevant.  


* * *

"It's about the most distasteful thing I've ever heard of," Ranma assured the girl, shuddering.

"Eight treasures? Happosai?" she asked.

Ranma shuddered again, and insisted, "Yes, now, never speak that name again. It's bad luck."

Suu eyed Ranma, her nearly perpetual smile fading for a moment. Nodding, she resumed her grin and scampered to the door, sliding it open and vanishing.

Ranma raised an eyebrow, seeing Motoko standing in the hallway, worn and haggard as she stared resolutely forward. "Rest well?" the redhead asked, smirking.

Motoko growled, "I had to make sure you wouldn't do anything untoward with Suu."

"Just because I turn into a girl doesn't mean I act like you," Ranma assured her. "Now go and get some sleep, or something. I'm going to take a bath."

"That's not fair!" Motoko wailed suddenly. "I'm not like that!"

"Neither am I," Ranma said seriously. "But there's this girl I know, see, and she runs around with a sword, chasing me all the time, and she doesn't believe me. So I feel your pain."

Motoko heaved a put-upon sigh and wandered away, shaking her head. "Watch yourself, Ranma," she warned. "I wanted to trust you, but you do not make this easier for me."

Ranma winced, a sudden bolt of guilt shooting up her spine. The girl had a point, but... "You want to trust me? So why did you watch me all night to make sure I wasn't doing anything? You obviously don't trust me."

"Nor would I, ever," Motoko shot back, pausing before the corner of the hallway, and looking back at Ranma with a scowl. "With Suu." She offered the faintest hints of a smile and stepped around the hall, vanishing from Ranma's sight.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ranma asked, confused.

XXX

Shinobu rubbed at her eyes sleepily, blinking at her reflection in the small mirror near the sink. She was suddenly stricken with the realization that she didn't know who put it there and spent a moment to ponder that, while she readied her toothbrush. Her eyes narrowed slightly with curiosity, and she had to resist the urge to giggle at her own reflection as she began brushing.

A soft footstep sounded nearby, and Ranma nodded at her, producing a toothbrush of his own. Suu had finished brushing her teeth already, and then run off to chase Tamago across the roof. Ranma, however, had taken the time to take a bath, as his once-again male form suggested.

Stiffening, Shinobu managed an awkward bow and mumbled around her toothbrush, "Did you rest well, Oe-san?"

Ranma nodded, yawning slightly and putting some toothpaste on his toothbrush. "Pretty good," he said after a moment. "I fell asleep the moment I lay down, so that was nice."

The girl relaxed instantly at hearing that. If he had just slept, then it wasn't nearly as bad. "Oh, that's good," she said, holding her toothbrush in her hand. "I was so worried! I thought that Motoko-chan and ... um ... nevermind." She blushed, realizing what a scene she was making, and quickly jammed her toothbrush into her mouth again, bowing her head.

"Nothing like that," Ranma said insistently. "Me and Suu just slept, and I was a girl at the time. I'm not like that."

Shinobu looked up at Ranma hesitantly, as he began brushing his teeth. "Really?" she asked quietly.

"Yeph, reawy," Ranma replied seriously.

The girl couldn't help but giggle at the stern looking man with his toothbrush still in his mouth.

He raised an eyebrow, then pointed at her and proclaimed, "Rabid schoolgirl!"

Laughing harder, Shinobu put her hand over her mouth to avoid spitting at Ranma and glanced at her reflection in the mirror. As Ranma's announcement had suggested, her mouth was neatly ringed with foamy bubbles of toothpaste. Drawing in a breath to laugh again, she choked on her toothbrush, and sat down heavily, trying to breathe, as everything faded...

...only to return a half-second later.

"You okay?" Ranma asked cautiously, his toothbrush still in his mouth.

Shinobu blinked, wondering why she was lying on the floor again. Something about being near Ranma seemed to prompt that. "I think so," she said cautiously. "What happened?"

"You choked on your toothbrush," Ranma explained, chuckling. "Ah... that was my fault, I'm afraid."

"I'm fine," she assured him, climbing unsteadily to her feet again. Her toothbrush sat on the counter next to the sink, and by her reflection, Ranma had wiped the toothpaste from her face.

Right," the man mumbled, producing his notebook and pen. "'Do not laugh and brush teeth at the same time. It can be dangerous.'"

"Oe-san?" Shinobu asked, unable to resist giggling again despite the embarrassment. "You need to write that down?"

"It helps," Ranma said in an offhanded manner, rinsing his mouth out and spitting into the sink. "Aniki used to write down notes like that, too. One of them was, 'The human head is not meant to turn one hundred and eighty degrees. I tried it today. It hurt.'"

Shinobu burst into laughter at hearing that, while Ranma nodded sagaciously. "Is that true, Oe-san?" she asked.

"Yep," Ranma said, smirking. "I also learned the hard way that the top of the head should not sit at a ninety degree angle to the shoulders, once. Hmm. Never remembered to write that one down."

He scribbled in his notebook again, and Shinobu laughed, carefully pushing her toothbrush away from her. "Well, I'll just remember, 'Be careful about brushing your teeth near Oe-san," she giggled.

"Could be good advice," Ranma reasoned, smirking. "Hey, since I'm taking over for Keitaro, and you already had an accident this morning, how about letting me make breakfast for you?"

"Ah! I can't let you do that!" Shinobu protested. "Oe-san, you don't need to do that for me!"

"You sure?" Ranma asked cautiously. "You were knocked out for a few minutes, and you still need to leave in time for school, don't you?"

"Oh," Shinobu wailed. "I'll never make it! I have to hurry!"

"Then hurry, but let me handle breakfast," Ranma insisted, marching towards the kitchen quickly.

Shinobu paused her frenzied panic, blinking at Ranma's back as he strode away. If he took care of breakfast, she'd have easily enough time, but at the same time... "Thank you," she whispered quietly, dashing to her room.

XXX

Ranma threw himself into the task of cooking, glancing up from the stove only as Keitaro and Naru wandered into the dining room, quizzing one another on various topics in the upcoming test. Both paused at seeing Ranma in Shinobu's normal place, and frowned in confusion.

"Oe-san?" Keitaro hazarded. "What's going on?"

"Shinobu-chan's running a bit late, Kanrinin," Ranma said, serving out the rice and miso carefully, and setting bowls of each before the pair.

"Oooh, that smells good, Shinobu... Oe?" Mitsune asked in confusion as she poked her head into the dining room. "You can cook?"

"I worked a summer at a hot-spring resort with Akini," Ranma said dismissively. "Most days I ended up in the kitchen." He served Mitsune, then retreated back into the kitchen to prepare more place-settings. "A few days I had to serve everyone in the main hall."

"Oh, so you know how to be a cook and a waitress?" Mitsune teased, sampling her miso.

"Yep," Ranma answered absently. "Didn't care much for the drunken old men, and the management didn't care much for bruised and angry customers, so they made me clean out the hot springs from then on. I liked that a little better."

Mitsune blinked in surprise. "Oh," she said quietly. "I thought you were kidding."

"Nope," Ranma said, setting out bowls for Motoko and Suu as they entered, Suu dancing circles around the weary kendoka. "But I've worked in restaurants before, mostly just not ones that served alcohol."

"I bet you look really cute dressed up as a waitress," Mitsune mused, causing Keitaro and Naru to wince in tandem.

"I guess," Ranma mumbled. "Aniki's got pictures. If I were staying longer, I'd get the album from him, but-" Ranma broke off, staring at the wall facing the interior of the inn, and blinking in confusion.

"But?" Mitsune prompted.

Ranma remained silent, eyes growing large with shock, and prompting even Motoko to rouse herself to study him in concern. A low, nearly inaudible scream echoed, growing louder with each passing second, until Shinobu nearly flew into the dining room, wailing, and latched onto Motoko.

"Waaaaaaaah!" she cried out, causing everyone else to wince at the volume.

"What's going on?" Motoko asked, climbing to her feet and putting an arm about the girl protectively, shooting Ranma a scathing glare.

"Someone's stolen all my panties!" Shinobu wailed. "I can't find any of them!"

Ranma shuddered, making a face. "This can't be happening," he murmured. "Suu, did you say that name I told you not to say?"

"Which name?" Suu asked curiously, pulling up the hem of her skirt to look. "I said it, but my panties are still here!"

Ranma slapped himself on the forehead, gritting his teeth. "Perfect," he mumbled. "Aniki never said the days would get this bad."

"What do you know about this?" Naru demanded suddenly, standing up, and slapping her palms against the table. "Are you responsible for Shinobu's missing panties?"

"No!" Ranma protested. "Well. Maybe. Wait! No, the only thing I ever did was let the old pervert live!"

"Which old pervert?" Naru asked skeptically.

"Uh ... it's not important," Ranma assured her, glancing over his shoulder worriedly. "Kanrinin, you and Narusegawa-san need to hurry up to get to your test. I can handle the old man."

"What old man?" Keitaro asked, frowning in confusion.

"I'd rather not say," Ranma said evasively. "But, uh, look at the time, you know?"

Keitaro took a deep breath and climbed to his feet, instantly the center of attention, dropping one hand onto Naru's shoulder. "I think Oe-san is right, Naru - we need to hurry up to make it to the test on time. I asked Oe-san to take care of the Hinata-Sou while I was gone for today, and I trust Oe-san. Everyone else, if you need help, ask Oe-san. He's going to need to talk to the contractors later today."

"Don't be so personal with me!" Naru snapped, looking at Keitaro with annoyance. "And get your hand off my shoulder."

Keitaro leapt back as though burnt and reflexively whimpered, "Not indoors!"

Everyone took a moment to blink in surprise, before Naru shook her head. "Anyway, you're right, Keitaro, we need to hurry up and get outside."

Cringing, Keitaro dropped his head. "Must go outside," he whimpered. "Okay, everyone, see you later."

With that, the pair strode down the hallway and out of sight.

"Oe, I want answers," Motoko grumbled. "What's going on here?"

"I think we should take this outside, too," Ranma said quietly. "I don't know how much time we have before the contractors get here."

"What?" Motoko asked, one arm tightening about Shinobu, and the other dropping to her sword.

Shinobu, realizing where she was, began to whimper, "Help! Save me, Oe-san! Motoko, I'm not like you!"

Motoko released the girl, scowling. "It's not like that! I'm trying to save you from the perversions of men!"

"That only makes it sound worse!" Shinobu protested, running to hide behind Mitsune.

"You think I can help you?" Mitsune asked, surprised.

"No, you're just less perverted than everyone else!"

"Uh ... let's try and tone down how often we say that word," Ranma suggested. "And I'm going outside. I'll handle this."

With that, the man shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably, one hand going to his headband before he stepped out the door.

Everyone else exchanged a few nervous glances, then followed.

Ranma marched across the lawn area behind the inn, glaring towards the trees. Shinobu had realized that the man had a quick temper that seemed to come and go - mostly around Motoko - but she couldn't fathom what had brought up the man's ire this time. Certainly, not why he would be angry about missing panties.

Whatever his anger was at, he stood in the center of the lawn, fists trembling at his sides. "Where are you?" he yelled out towards no one in particular.

Motoko crossed her arms over her chest, and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "I sense something," she murmured. "Something ominous."

Mitsune and Suu stood nearby, the younger girl staring with wide-eyed interest and a curious grin, Mitsune with slightly more concern. "Well, what's all this about?" Mitsune asked after a moment, when no one answered Ranma.

"I-" Ranma snapped out, cutting himself off suddenly. He raised his hands, glowering, and stared at them closely. "I'm not sure," he said in a slightly subdued tone. "I ... maybe I'm overreacting, is all."

"Overreacting?" Shinobu asked, blinking in surprise. "Why are you so worried about ... what's missing?"

"Not what's missing," Ranma clarified, "but who took it."

"Something wicked approaches," Motoko intoned, drawing her sword and standing before Shinobu and Suu protectively. "Is this some fell minion that followed you, Oe?"

"He shouldn't have been able to follow me, though!" Ranma protested, taking up a fighting stance.

"Who?" Motoko asked, shooting a sidelong glance at the man.

"Him," Ranma stated flatly, as a form of shadow leapt from the trees.

A dark, rounded blur like a massive troll or ogre, gigantic upper body supported on a set of tiny legs, moving so quickly that Shinobu almost couldn't see it at all flashed towards her. "Aaaah!" she wailed, covering her head with her arms and cowering.

The sound of Motoko's sword cleaving through the air echoed through the silence, along with the soft rustle of cloth and the muted noise of footsteps staggering to a halt. Recovering some of her courage, Shinobu peeked through her fingers, afraid of what she was going to see. The troll stood a short distance away, but she could see clearly that it wasn't a large creature at all - it was a rather tiny one, with a massive sack slung across its back.

Motoko held her sword in a ready position, her knees shaking slightly, and her eyes wide with shock. Ranma crouched before her, one hand on the earth, the other held parallel to the ground at his side. "Oe," Motoko said softly, taking a staggering step backwards. "What ... have you done?"

Ranma growled, reaching into his shirt, pulling out a frilly black lace bra, and throwing it to the ground. "Saving you a lot of trouble," he spat. "Now stay out of the way, little girl. This is my fight."

Motoko's grip on her sword wavered, and she took another halting step backwards before she steeled her resolve. "I will not stand down until you tell me what is going on here, Oe," she insisted.

"Oe?" the troll asked, surprised. "Ranma, have you changed your name?"

Straightening up, Ranma shrugged his shoulders. "What difference would that make?" he asked. "I don't know why you're here, Happosai, but I don't want you to stay."

"Ranma!" the creature exclaimed, batting suddenly large, innocent eyes at the man. "You wound your old master!"

"You are not my master," Ranma countered, shaking his head tersely. "You never gave me anything, just like everyone else in-" He caught himself and shivered slightly. "You're from a part of my life that's over, old man," he said flatly.

"Oh, that's not true," the troll chuckled, setting down his sack and grinning widely. "I can see that you still use Anything Goes just by looking at you. As long as you use that school, you will always be my heir."

"Oe!" Motoko snapped. "You've trained beneath this beast?"

"Beast?" Happosai asked. "How cruel! But you're a feisty little thing, aren't you?" The old man - if he was a man - looked at Ranma slyly. "Almost reminds you of Akane, doesn't she?"

Ranma trembled with barely suppressed rage, his face a mask of anger focused enough to make whatever temper he'd had against Motoko the prior day look as though it were nothing.

Shinobu took a step backwards herself, colliding with Mitsune, who reflexively dropped a hand to the girl's shoulder to steady her. "Well, now," Mitsune mused, frowning softly. "This is more than I bargained for when I mentioned excitement!"

"I wonder what their relationship is," Suu mused quietly, one finger placed between her lips as she studied the two. "Is a Happosai stronger than a Ranma?"

Ranma glanced at Suu, his expression softening. Standing up straight, he shifted his combat stance, turning to face the old man. "Maybe I use Anything Goes, and maybe I don't," he said evasively. "And even if I do, I'm not your heir. Never will be again, old man."

"Sounds like a challenge, Ranma m'boy!" the man cackled. "Your father Genma may be the master of the Saotome school of Anything Goes, as Soun is the master of the Tendo school of Anything Goes, but I am the grandmaster. If you don't have their permission, then you have to have mine to practice." He rubbed his hands together slowly, grinning from ear-to-ear. "So that means if you can't beat me, you have to beg my students for permission."

"I don't need your permission for anything," Ranma growled. "I can do whatever I want, and I'm not training anyone in Anything Goes." Ranma's expression gave way to a rather unkind grin. "Whatever there was of the Art that was pure in Anything Goes has been refined into the Oe Ronin-ryu."

"So you think that you can steal some of Anything Goes to create a higher art?" Happosai asked, one eyebrow flicking upward in surprise.

Motoko grimaced distastefully and turned to regard Ranma the way she would look at something unclean. "Is that your art?" she asked. "Theft?"

Ranma glanced at Motoko, and his expression shifted - for just a heartbeat, Shinobu knew, but long enough for her to see - to hurt and betrayal before it melded back into anger. "Stuff it, old man!" Ranma yelled, turning back to the wizened creature. "Fine. I'll accept your challenge. When I win, you leave me alone, forever. Deal?"

Happosai chuckled again, pulling a pipe from his gi, and puffing on it idly. "Interesting, interesting," he mused, blowing a pair of smoke rings. "And if I win, you either give up Anything Goes, or train under me like your father did."

"I don't plan on losing," Ranma said levelly. "So let's get this over with."

The old man barked a short laugh, and said, "Your choice, my heir! Happo-dai-karin!" Bouncing towards Ranma, the creature pulled an object about the size and shape of a tennis ball from his pocket and flung it at Ranma.

The man leapt backwards, his arms crossed before his face. In slow motion, his braid seemed to leap across his shoulder, trailing in front of him as he flew backwards, then, as Happosai's projectile struck the earth and detonated, the braid flipped over Ranma's shoulder and fluttered behind him. His hair only came to rest when Ranma landed on the far side of the lawn on both knees and one hand, wincing. Happosai landed on the lawn and chuckled for a moment, before producing three more of the spheres from his gi.

Ranma surged to his feet, clapping his hands together, then tearing them apart with a shout of, "Mouko Takabisha!" As his hands separated, strands of energy and light began to swarm across them, like bolts of lightning that quickly grew in size and number, then leapt into the space between his palms, forming a flashing sphere of golden-white light, shot through with streaks of red and black. The ball hovered for a half-second, then zipped directly at Happosai with blinding speed, streaking across the yard.

The old man leapt upward, narrowly dodging the ball of force, which shot past him and slammed into the bundle that Happosai had left on the ground. There was a quiet, muffled explosion and the bag detonated, scattering burning panties and bras across the battlefield. "My... My... My pretties!" Happosai shrieked in horror.

"Yours?" Mitsune asked under her breath. "I think those are ours!"

"None of mine!" Suu said cheerfully, until one of the garments suddenly exploded with enough force to knock Shinobu and Mitsune to their feet. "Well, maybe one," she allowed, shrugging.

Happosai stared at Ranma disconsolately, with large, sad eyes. "Ranma!" he sputtered. "You've destroyed my pretties! How could you?"

"I was aiming for your head!" Ranma snapped.

"Why, you little..." Happosai muttered. "Take this! Happo-dai-karin!" Barely giving Ranma enough time to react, the old man lobbed a trio of his explosives, one towards Ranma, one towards the inn, and one towards the girls.

Motoko didn't flinch, slicing the grenade in two before it struck, the pieces rolling to land near Suu. Ranma dived immediately towards the inn, landing on his hands, somersaulting, and snapping a kick upwards towards the third projectile, launching it into the air where it burst harmlessly. Climbing to his feet, Ranma growled at Happosai, who bounced over to stand between Ranma and the others. "Care to take another shot at me?" the old man asked, smiling. "I'm suddenly reminded of something that happened a few years ago in Nerima..."

Ranma raised his hands, the sparkling bolts of power that preceded the Mouko Takabisha shining for a moment before he growled, low in his throat, and released it. "Leave them out of this, old man!"

"It's 'Anything Goes', Ranma!" the old man mocked. "Are you going to show me your higher art?"

Ranma surged towards Happosai again, speeding towards the aged man. Happosai hopped backwards, deflecting strikes and blows from the larger man with his pipe, offering only an exaggerated yawn at the effort required. "You've gotten sloppy," he chastised. "Now I'm not sure I even want you to be my heir."

"Shut up!" Ranma roared, throwing as much strength as he could into a spin-kick at the man's head. Happosai twirled his pipe absently, and Ranma was launched upwards with a forceful sounding 'crack'. The man tumbled through the air, slamming into the earth in front of Mitsune and Shinobu hard enough to leave an indentation. "Uhhng..." Ranma moaned, trying to pull himself up out of the crater.

"Do you not have enough strength to clean up your own messes?" Motoko asked angrily, her sword directed at the old man. "I am disappointed in you, Oe!"

"Leave ... me alone," Ranma mumbled, still unable to rise.

"Oe-san?" Shinobu asked hesitantly. "You can beat him, right?"

Ranma paused his struggles for a heartbeat, and lay still, simply breathing. The old man began to walk over slowly, and Ranma unsteadily reclaimed his feet, glowering. "I'd better," he mumbled, easing himself into a defensive stance, obviously in pain as he did so. "And you should back off a bit."

Shinobu quickly did as he suggested, followed only a second later by Mitsune and Suu. Motoko held her ground, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "I expect an answer for this, Oe," Motoko warned.

"Stay out of this!" Ranma yelled at her. "Leave me alone, I-"

His moment of distraction was more than opening enough for Happosai, who darted across the intervening distance to throw Ranma upwards again, coming to the ground heavily before the short shrubs and low fence that separated the back yard from the baths. "Heehee!" the old man chuckled, whirling his pipe across his fingers idly. "And you used to think that _I_ was easily distracted by a pretty face!"

"Stuff it," Ranma advised, spitting out a mouthful of turf and staggering to a kneeling position. "I betcha can't hit me like that again."

"Sounds like a plan!" Happosai said cheerfully, moving far too quickly for the other man to stop, sending Ranma hurtling through the air again. Ranma vanished over the fence, but this time, there was no resounding thud from his impact against the ground. Happosai blinked, frowning in surprise. "What's this?" he asked quietly, glancing around in consternation.

Ranma reappeared, bouncing over the fence, female this time. Her red hair fluttered behind her, a stray fleck of blood from a cut on her cheek drifting past it. The long bandana that Ranma habitually wore came loose, and the shock of her bangs came free, hair hanging before her eyes like an ominous curtain. "This is me kickin' yer ass!" Ranma yelled, driving towards the ground foot-first.

The old man barely had enough time to slip out of the way as Ranma slammed into the ground, leaving behind an impact crater nearly half a meter across. "Hotcha!" he said, laughing. "Ranma-chan, you're coming back?"

"Oh!" Ranma exclaimed, collapsing to the ground and clutching the ankle she had landed on. "Damn it!"

Happosai paused, then smirked. "Serves you right for destroying my haul," he observed sagely. "Now maybe if you behave, I'll be a forgiving master!" He leapt for the man-turned-woman, as she clutched her wounded leg, only to make a distressed sound as the 'wounded' limb shot out, snapping into his chin and flipping him in the air.

Ranma launched herself off the ground, a wild - but powerful - strike slamming the aged man to the lawn, and a number of follow-up blows raining down on him while he lay prone. "Moron!" Ranma chastised. "You fell for the oldest trick in the book!"

"Urk," Happosai uttered, struggling away, then running from Ranma. The redhead didn't follow, one hand going to her side, as she winced. "You got me once," he said, flatly. "But the match isn't over."

"You sure about that?" Ranma asked, grinning. "You know I'm going to win, old man."

Happosai opened his mouth to say something, then frowned, and crossed his arms over his chest. "No," he said, shaking his head. "You're not. You don't have what it takes to be a master of Anything Goes, Ranma. You've lost this match."

Ranma gaped in surprise, collapsing to one knee. "What the hell are you talkin' about?"

"We'll fight again," Happosai advised, smiling softly. "At sunset tomorrow, I'll return. Then we'll really fight. Until then, my heir, that was a fair warm-up. But next time, I want you to show me the true Oe Ronin-ryu." Done with his speech, and cackling loudly, the old man bounced away, vanishing into the trees, though his laughter echoed for far longer.

"Oe..." Motoko said softly. "I don't understand what has happened here, and I mean to. Speak to me."

Ranma said nothing, merely bowing her head slightly. With her hair unbound by the bandana, her eyes were masked, though Shinobu flinched at the single trail of wetness that she saw crossing Ranma's cheek.

"Oe...san?" Motoko ventured again, sheathing her sword.

"Nothing," Ranma rasped, straightening up and not meeting her gaze. "Nothing I want to talk about."

"Best leave the girl alone," Haruka advised, emerging from the side-path behind the baths. "Anyway, where's Keitaro? There's a bunch of contractors here to talk to him about the repairs to the inn."

"Oh, right," Ranma mumbled, rubbing at her face with her palms for a moment, then shaking out her damp T-shirt to try and remove some of the form-fitting qualities it had assumed when she stood still. "I have to talk to them. Thank you, Haruka-san."

"Hmm," Haruka mused, watching Ranma disappear down the path she had arrived on herself. "Keitaro's foisting the responsibilities of running the inn off on a new tenant already. I might need to have a word with him about that."

"Oh!" Shinobu exclaimed, finally clearing her head of the daze-inducing shock that had settled over her. "Um, Haruka-san, Urashima-sempai had to take a test, and asked Oe-san to take care of the inn for him for the day, since Oe-san can't take the test yet."

Haruka raised an eyebrow at that, taking a drag from her cigarette. "If he trusts Oe, I suppose," she allowed. "If he can hold his own against Happosai, he must have enough ability to at least run an inn."

"Happosai?" Motoko asked, her eyes widening. "You know him?"

Haruka blinked in surprise, then looked away, touching the side of her head with a finger. "Um, say, don't you girls need to hurry off to school?"

Motoko yelped in surprise, and ran towards the inn, full tilt. "I mustn't allow Oe to make me late!" she protested.

Shinobu only took a moment to follow, her arms agitated blurs as she wailed, "I have nothing to wear!"

Suu cocked her head to one side, glancing between Mitsune and Haruka speculatively, then shrugging and skipping into the inn. Mitsune broke the silence, asking, "Now, what's that all about?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all," Haruka said flatly.

"Well, if nothing's up, then I was wondering if you could loan me some money," Mitsune began, smiling softly. "Some little troll and a really handsome guy conspired to steal my underwear and then blow it all up..."

Haruka reached into a pocket, and slapped a short stack of large bills into Mitsune's waiting hands. "Let us never speak of this again," the older woman said tersely.

"Works for me," Mitsune said softly, counting through the bills.

XXX

With the inn behind her, Naru stood on the already crowded bus, one hand on the rail before her. Keitaro stood behind her, mumbling about something from his notebook to himself. She couldn't help but shake a certain feeling of apprehension; that something bad was going to happen.

Turning around as much as the crowded bus would allow, she asked, "Keitaro?"

He looked up sharply, folding his book against his chest as the bus lurched to a halt at the next stop. "Yes?" he answered, blinking in surprise at her.

Naru bit her lip, reconsidering, then asked, "How do you think you're going to do this time?"

The man brightened instantly, eyes shining with hope. "I think I'm going to make it. This time, for sure! How about you, Narusegawa?"

"I'm sure I'll make it this time," she answered evasively, turning away and staring at her feet. "I won't fail again."

"That's the spirit!" Keitaro encouraged her, bumping into her gently as the bus ground to a halt at an intersection.

She reflexively raised a fist, ready to strike him, but when she turned around, he wasn't paying attention to her at all, instead trying to steady himself with one hand, and still read his notes. Sighing, she dismissed the urge to hit Keitaro, and studied him for a moment.

He'd been trying for years, to get into Toudai. Would he make it this year? Would she, for that matter? Her scores on practice tests were flawless, but the last time she had taken an actual test ... she had failed. The idea began to form in the back of her head that she might not make it again this year, either. She wasn't certain if she could handle that.

Last year she'd had the dubious reassurance that Keitaro, for all of his attempts, also failed. But what if he made it, this year, and she were left alone, trying to get in? Initially she had respected Keitaro, when she thought he had already made it, but she didn't like his attitude when he was maintaining that facade. Would it return if he made it in without her?

Maybe that was what was bothering her. That he would make it in and leave her behind. But ... why would that bother her? "Stupid," she mumbled, prompting Keitaro to blink and look up at her in confusion.

"What?"

Before she could explain, the bus gave another of its sudden lurches, and she found herself falling into Keitaro. He caught her with one hand, braced against her chest, and she grit her teeth, shoving him away. His grip failed, and he stumbled back into a pair of salarymen, while she righted herself. The men in suits shot Keitaro several dark looks as he managed to pull himself upright, apologizing to them profusely.

"This is our stop," Naru said with slightly more confidence, when the bus began to slow again. "Are you okay?"

"Um, fine, I guess," he said, frowning. "Do you really think I'm going to fail?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, edging towards the exit as the bus came to a stop.

"You said I was stupid!" Keitaro protested, struggling out the door after Naru. "What was that all about?"

"Not so loud!" Naru protested, glancing around. Few people were paying any attention to them. "It was... Uh, it wasn't you," she mumbled, shaking her head.

"So I'm not stupid?" Keitaro asked, brightening. "You think I'm going to make it?"

"Y...yes," Naru said hesitantly. "I think you will." Her hopes weren't so high for herself, but she wasn't about to tell him that.

"Narusegawa! You finally have faith in me! I'll do my best for you!"

"Not so loud!"

XXX

The foreman for the construction seemed familiar to Ranma, somehow, but she couldn't quite place her finger on why he seemed so familiar to her. "Hello," she said, bowing, and trying to dismiss her temper. "Sorry about making you wait, and thank you for helping us on such short notice."

"Not a problem," the foreman said confidently. He was a large, burly man, more muscular and a good deal taller than Ranma in her male form. He and his crew - another dozen men dressed identically in beige tank-tops, heavy gloves, and sturdy looking jeans - stared about speculatively. "So, where do we begin? Hajime didn't tell us all the details."

"I imagine not," Ranma sighed, shaking her head. "I have everything written down. I've got all the details for what needs to be done - are you going to start working today?"

"It's early enough," the man reasoned. "We'll whip up a quick plan and move in some equipment - the real work won't begin tomorrow, and we'll probably start with the plumbing."

"That makes sense," Ranma mumbled, pulling her notebook from behind her and consulting what information Keitaro had given her. She rattled of the directions quickly, leading the men into the house and showing them the ruined bath, then various other damaged areas - the hole in the wall shaped vaguely like Keitaro, a cracked beam in the ceiling of Motoko's room, and the like.

The foreman nodded studiously, his men already hauling their equipment up to the grassy area behind the house. "Any questions?" Ranma asked, once the pair had climbed to the roof to study the loose shingles and various other areas of damage.

"Just one or two," the man said, stooping down to tug at a shingle experimentally. It came up in his hands easily, and he frowned at it. "Well, uh, the first one is: how long were you told that this all would take?"

"Um ... two weeks, they said, maybe a week extra," Ranma said, crossing her arms beneath her chest. "You think it'll take longer?"

"Yeah, well, my guys are good, and we're getting a new guy on Wednesday, but I don't think we're good enough to finish this place in two weeks." He rubbed at his chin for a moment, then shook his head. "Anyway, my other question is, who are you? Paperwork said we'd be working for some guy named Urashima Keitaro."

"Uh, my name is Oe," Ranma said, frowning. "Is it important?"

"Oe?" the man asked, surprised. "Oh! The new guy we hired is named Oe, too! His name is Ranma - are you related to him at all?"

"Uh, he's my brother," Ranma hedged, realizing why the foreman had seemed so familiar. "Um, I'm Ranko."

"Nice to meet you, Ranko-chan," he said pleasantly. "You're twins, right?"

"Yeah," Ranma said slowly. "Um. So, I don't want to get in your way, or anything, but if you need any more info, just ask around. I think Mitsune's here, too, but you don't need to bother her for anything."

"Well, I did have that other question for you," the man protested, as Ranma backed towards the edge of the roof.

"What's that?"

"Well, you seem nice, and I'm already working with your brother - why don't you let me take you to lunch so we can get to know each other better?" The foreman stepped closer to her - not threatening, but protectively.

Because Ranma was right next to the edge of the roof, she realized. What she needed wasn't a protective and burly foreman, but a way out. "Uh, I don't really think that would be a good idea. I mean, I don't even know your name!"

"I'm Suzuki Taiso," he said, bowing slightly. "So, how about it?"

"Um, well," Ranma hedged, looking around frantically, "I'd love to, but, um ... you see..."

"But?" the man asked, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow.

"But..."

"Oe? Where are you?" a voice called out from behind Taiso. Trying to keep her relief from being too obvious, Ranma took a few steps to the side, surprised to see Mitsune there, grinning widely.

"Um, I'm right here, Kitsune," she said, waving, as though there were other people on the roof she could have been confused with.

"Oh, great!" Mitsune cheered, clapping her hands together. "I was wondering if you could help me go shopping today."

"Er ... well, I would, but-"

"Oh, if you've got other plans, Oe-chan, I won't get in the way," Mitsune drawled.

Taiso turned to look at Mitsune, scratching his head curiously. "Well, that doesn't seem like a problem to me," he said, shrugging. "You can go shopping some other time, right?"

"Um ... I promised, didn't I, Kitsune? I mean, we were going to go shopping and then visit my brother," Ranma objected swiftly.

"Yeah, that's right," Mitsune said, crossing her arms beneath her chest and nodding. Leaning slightly closer to Taiso, as though she were confiding in the man, she added, "Her brother's a martial artist - really strong, and very protective of his sister. I also think there's something going on between her and the manager of the inn, anyway, but she's really shy about it."

Ranma's eyebrow ticked at that, but it saved her trying to explain his curse to the man, which she really didn't want to do. She wasn't positive, but suspected that they might not be happy with the idea, or would more likely see Ranma as the curse rather than the person she really was. "Yeah, that's right! Let's go shopping and meet with my brother, Kitsune-chan!" she cheered. "I have to go out for tea with the manager this evening."

"I hope your brother can take us to lunch," Mitsune commented quietly, while Ranma scurried towards her, avoiding Taiso.

"Why's that?" Ranma asked, suspecting he knew the answer.

"He seems like the kind of guy I'd like to get to know a little better," she said, putting an arm over Ranma's shoulders.

"Lucky him," Ranma managed, hiding a sigh. "Well, sorry Suzuki-san, I have to go now."

XXX

Male again, Ranma stalked down the street, carrying Mitsune's shopping bags over one shoulder. His appearance seemed to attract a fair number of glances, while Mitsune strode happily ahead of him, nearly skipping. When they reached a crosswalk, she stopped, waiting for the light, and turned to face him. "Thanks," she said after a moment.

"Thank you, I guess," Ranma grudgingly allowed. "I really hate it when guys hit on me like that."

"How do you normally deal with it?"

Ranma looked evasive, glancing away. "Um, just, kinda, hit them a little," he mumbled. "I'm not like that."

The woman snickered, shaking her head. "You know, there's a lot about you I don't know, but I'd really like to."

"What do you mean?" Ranma asked, cocking his head to one side. "You're not just playing games with my head, are you?"

"You wound me," she quipped, her smile widening slightly at his wince. "But, I would like to know what all of that was about."

"I don't like to talk about it," Ranma complained. "I mean, I really don't like to talk about it."

"I've heard," Mitsune mused, tapping her lower lip with one finger. "Okay, how about a bet, then?"

"What kind of bet?" Ranma asked suspiciously.

"Let's go have lunch. I'll guess your story. If I get it right, you pay for it."

"And if you don't get it right?"

"Then you tell me, and I pay for lunch."

"I have a better idea," Ranma posed. "See, I don't like to talk about the past, because it's, well, in the past. But I do owe you for helping me out with Taiso, so I'll buy you lunch someplace."

"Free lunch, or answers, free lunch, or answers?" Mitsune mused, cocking her head to one side, then smiling slyly. "Free lunch with a really cute guy."

Ranma snorted, rolling his eyes, then pointed to a nearby restaurant. "Hey - do you like okonomiyaki?"

"Is that all you're offering me?" Mitsune asked, pouting slightly, and leaning towards Ranma as though to inspect his value.

"I'm trying to save up and get into college," he said defensively. "Look, I'll even cook for you. Sound fair?"

"Well ... okay," she allowed after a moment, straightening up. "Lead the way, my darling Ranma-sama!"

"Don't call me that," Ranma said reflexively, marching into the shop, and nodding at a waitress. In short order, the pair were seated near the window, with a good view out onto the city. Bright sunlight flooded the street below, shiny cars dimmed by tinted windows, and the tree-lined hill that Hinata-Sou sat in pitched in the difference. Mitsune said nothing immediately after Ranma's admonishment, and he spent a long minute simply staring out at the view. The restaurant they were in sat atop a hill, and he could see more streets and buildings laid out below, before the slope reversed, leading up to the inn.

"It's a nice view," Mitsune said, finally breaking Ranma's reverie, a hint of disappointment entering her voice.

"Yeah," Ranma mumbled, turning back to face her and shaking his head. "Um. Sorry. I'm not real sociable all the time. I'm just a bit on edge from ... Happosai."

Mitsune rested her elbows on the wooden lip surrounding the grill in the center of the table, and raised an eyebrow. "Want to talk about it?" she asked, lacing her fingers together and resting her chin atop them.

He wrestled internally for a long minute. He wanted nothing more than to speak about it to someone, but ... why open up to a woman he'd know for three months, at best? Moreover, the curiosity and scheming from Mitsune struck close to home for Ranma and reminded him far too much of a girl or two that had gotten the better of him in the past. His brother could handle that, but he wasn't certain he could.

And then, the truth of the matter was that Mitsune didn't seem to be a bad sort - not at all. But...

"Nah," he said after a moment. "If I did, you'd have to pay for lunch."

"Point," the woman allowed, smiling. Further conversation was preceded by the arrival of a waitress, who took their orders quietly, then returned with the ingredients they had requested.

Mitsune watched intently as Ranma poured some batter across the grill, smiling slightly. He served it to her when it was done, then began to prepare one for himself. "Not bad," Mitsune said around a mouthful of her okonomiyaki. "Somehow, after breakfast, I was expecting more, though."

"If I'd met Aniki before I left Nerima, I'd have learned how to make okonomiyaki better from Ucchan," Ranma said absently, flipping an okonomiyaki over.

"Oh?" Mitsune asked quietly. Ranma blinked at the grill, realizing his slip-up. Too often when he thought about his past, he spoke about it without thinking. He had nothing to hide around Kintaro, of course, and the rest of the time, he didn't think about his past when he could help it.

But now he was locked in a situation where he had to think about it, with the reminders being thrown at him nearly constantly. And it was more than just the okonomiyaki, he knew. It was the little parts of Naru that reminded him ... of Akane. Or the way that Shinobu reminded him of ... her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mitsune asked quietly.

Ranma looked up sharply, realizing his okonomiyaki was burnt. He distractedly moved it in front of himself, off the grill. "Um..." he stalled. She had asked if he wanted to talk about it, not for more information. That alone told him the woman was more trustworthy than he was giving her credit. She could have drilled him for information while he was vulnerable, but she hadn't - and he knew she was curious about it. "I ... could tell you about my older brother, I guess," he said after a moment, taking a bite of the burnt okonomiyaki he had made for himself.

"That can't taste very good," the woman opined.

"It doesn't," Ranma said, grimacing. "But I made it for myself, so I'll see it through." He shook his head, adding some sauce and taking another bite. "Anyway, I... Like Happosai said, I didn't used to be Oe Ranma. I used to be Saotome Ranma, before I met Aniki."

Mitsune nodded her understanding, sampling another bite of okonomiyaki.

"Um, I met him ... a while after something that changed my life forever. In a bad way. I mean, it was what I think was the worst day of my life, and he ... stopped me from doing something stupid." Ranma scratched his forehead underneath his headband uncomfortably. "So, he told me things weren't so bad, and was about one of the first guys I ever met who treated me like a guy all the time, even ... with the curse."

Ranma sighed, pouring another okonomiyaki onto the grill. "So, I liked that he could respect me, and he asked if he could help me out. And he offered to teach me a new way to look at things, and a way to learn more." He glanced at Mitsune, checking for her reaction, then continuing, "I didn't much care about the learning part right then, but... Aniki saved me, so I wasn't going to ignore it. I agreed, and he said that if I was going to live with him, we would be like brothers. So he called me 'Otouto', and I've called him 'Aniki' ever since."

"So he's not your real brother?" Mitsune asked, surprised.

"Nope." Ranma flipped the next okonomiyaki effortlessly and set it before Mitsune. "But he is my brother, legally. He went to Toudai for long enough to get a law degree - but he never actually picked it up. He said he knew everything he already needed from that, and that his learning would continue elsewhere. But he knew enough about how to get my name transferred to his family's register legally."

"Is your brother as cute as you are?"

Ranma dropped a spatula on the grill, scrambling for a moment to retrieve it and burning his fingers in the process. "Er ... a lot of girls think so," Ranma hazarded. "I mean, he's my brother. I don't look at him that way."

Mitsune giggled, shaking her head. "Sorry," she murmured apologetically. "I probably shouldn't have asked like that. You really like your older brother, huh?"

"Yeah," Ranma said quietly, leaning back in his seat and turning to look out the window. "He's done a lot for me and I owe him. That's why I have to get into Toudai." He turned to look at Mitsune, who was watching raptly, the remainder of her lunch ignored. "So now you know," he finished.

"Thanks for the story, Ranma," Mitsune murmured. "You know, Keitaro and Naru are also trying to get into Toudai for special reasons."

"Really?" Ranma asked, pushing the remnants of his burnt okonomiyaki away from himself.

"Well ... you should ask them about it," the woman suggested, stretching her arms over her head. "But I guess we're done here."

"Yeah, you're right," Ranma said quietly, standing up, and reaching for his wallet. "Anyway, I want to get some cold water, and I really have to get back and see if those contractors need any more information."

XXX

Treading lightly, Shinobu was the slightest bit unsettled to watch Suu leap off of the ground and dance merrily across the low rooftops of the shops on the street leading to the Hinata-Sou. "Going to catch a Ranma!" the girl sang happily, leaping across the entire width of the road to caper back, passing in a wide circle around Shinobu. "Going to catch a Ranma!"

"Ahh! Kaora! Be careful!" Shinobu called out, hurrying to keep up with the other girl's pace. "We'll be home soon, and that's dangerous!"

"I know what I'm doing," Suu assured her, a heartbeat before she slipped at the edge of one roof. An ancient shingle, coated on both sides with a thick layer of moss, shot out from beneath the girl's foot, caroming across the street and leaving the girl to fall, rear-end first. A hapless man broke her fall as he wandered down the street, looking up in time to catch a face full of Suu's skirt before he was slammed into the ground.

Suu sat still, perched on the man's face and blinking in surprise, while Shinobu ran up to investigate. "Auuugh! Kaora, are you okay? You need to get up, you've crushed someone!"

The man struggled to rise, and Suu shifted her position, clinging to the man as he sat up. "Huh?" he asked, blinking, and adjusting his spectacles.

"Ah! Urashima-sempai!" Shinobu cheered, relieved. "It's you! For a moment I was afraid someone might have gotten hurt!"

"Fine, thanks," Keitaro managed, slightly dazed. The confused expression lasted only a moment before he jumped to his feet, ignoring Suu, now seated on his shoulders. "Yes!" he exclaimed, eyes growing large and moist with joy. "Shinobu-chan! Suu-chan! Meeting you here is a sign of good luck!"

"Lucky," Suu agreed, nodding. "But I wanted to catch a Ranma, not a Keitaro."

"Eh? What's that, Suu-chan?" Keitaro asked, trying to look at the girl. "Um, do you two come this way every day after school?"

"Yes, Urashima-sempai," Shinobu assured him. "Are you looking for something?"

"Er ... well, I was wondering what kind of places there are along this street that are good for taking someone to ... talk," he said, nodding. "A tea house, or something. I don't want it to be the one at Hinata-Sou, though."

Shinobu blinked, then pointed to the building they were standing in front of - the same one Suu had fallen off. Keitaro turned to look, adjusting his spectacles and blinking at the sign in front of the building. "'Lower Hinata Tea-house'," he read off the sign. "Oh. Well, that would explain that. Thanks, girls!"

"Why do you need to know about it?" Suu asked, leaning forward far enough to peer into Keitaro's eyes. "I checked - their tea is not delicious."

"I was just going to ask someone out to tea later," Keitaro said dismissively. "But for now, I need to come up with a way to give Narusegawa some important news."

Shinobu blinked at that, drawing her hands together before her chest reflexively. Whenever things started to turn strange, she had a nearly uncontrollable desire to curl into a ball, and this wasn't helping things. "Important news?" she asked worriedly.

"It's about Oe," Keitaro explained. "But don't worry about that, now. Once I talk to Narusegawa, then I think I can honestly say that you girls will all be in good hands."

Shinobu blinked, absorbing that bit of information, as Keitaro resumed his walk to Hinata-Sou, Suu still perched on his shoulders.

XXX

Female once more, Ranma was awarded the dubious honor of watching Mitsune model her new clothing. Most of this entailed her sitting on the floor of Mitsune's room, watching the door. "Ready?" she asked, twirling the end of her braid around her finger idly.

"Yep, I think that does it," Mitsune said, stepping around a divider, and showing off a sleek black dress. "What do you think of this one? And be honest."

Ranma sighed, studying the dress closely. "It looks okay, but I don't know if black is really your color," she said after a moment.

Mitsune stuck her tongue out at Ranma. "Black matches everything."

"I guess," Ranma said, shrugging. "I never learned much about clothes, except how to mend them."

The woman smirked, shaking her head. "Okay, okay, I have one more to try on, but it's not that special. You have to like one of these."

Ranma nodded dutifully and turned to watch the door again. A soft pattering of feet tramped their way past, followed by another, and a sudden, "Myu!"

"Can Tamago take care of himself?" Ranma asked, suddenly worried.

"The only thing around here that tries to eat him is Suu, and I think she's given up on that," Mitsune assured Ranma. "And I don't think she's back from school yet. You'll hear it when she is, though."

"I'll bet," Ranma mumbled, shrugging her shoulders uncomfortably.

"I'm not so sure..."

"No, you're probably right. If Suu were back, I'd probably get some clue on it."

Mitsune laughed quietly. "I meant about the outfit. It looked okay in the window, but it seems too ... old fashioned now that I think about it." She paused for a moment, and Ranma heard her footsteps across the back of the room. "What do you think?" she asked curiously.

Ranma sighed, and turned around. And froze, unable to move, with eyes wide. The outfit that she had chosen consisted of multiple pieces. The first was a white blouse with a wide, lacy collar. The second was a plum colored dress with a low neckline that fit over the blouse, and the last piece was a simple light blue vest that fit over that.

The redhead swallowed unable to look away. Only Mitsune's face and hair kept the illusion from being perfect. The woman held out an arm, and frowned at the sleeves there, shaking her head uncertainly. "I feel like an old housewife - this outfit's no good at all," she sighed. "I'll take it back tomorrow after work, I suppose."

"Uh," Ranma managed, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "It's ... not a bad outfit."

"You like it, then?" the woman asked, a faint hint of hope sounding in her voice.

"Um, I don't think it's really you," Ranma said, shaking her head. "The black dress looked better on you - or the miniskirt, that was nice."

"Wow, thanks," she said dryly. "If you think it's bad, then you could just say so."

"It's not bad," Ranma said quickly. "I ... knew someone who used to dress like that all the time."

"Oh?" Mitsune asked skeptically.

"Yes," Ranma said apologetically, opening her eyes. But the dress wasn't on Mitsune any more - all she was wearing was the blouse, which was already halfway unbuttoned. "Eep!" Ranma spun around, facing the door quickly. "Um, yes, really."

Mitsune laughed softly again. "Okay, okay," she said. "I believe you. But you peeped at me. I could tell Motoko about that, you know..."

"Oh, please," Ranma groaned. "That's the last thing I need! That irritating little girl will jump on any excuse to give me hell." She paused for a moment, considering what was about to happen, then sighed. "Can you do me a favor and make this quick and painless?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Mitsune asked, voice full of feigned innocence.

"Awww ... what do you want me to do in order to not have Motoko running after me with a sword all day?" Ranma asked.

In answer, Mitsune dropped the black dress into her lap.

"You want me to return this for you?" Ranma asked hopefully.

"I want to see how you look in it," Mitsune said cheerfully.

"Okay, okay." Ranma stood up, shaking her head, and turned to face Mitsune, getting another eyeful as the woman was wearing nothing but her underwear this time. "Ack!" Ranma spun around. "Don't do that," she chastised, tugging off her shirt. She held up the dress before her, studying it and trying to calculate the fit.

Mitsune grabbed the bottom edge of her tanktop, and began to pull it up, just as the door to Mitsune's room opened, and Naru walked in, sighing. Mitsune froze, her hands atop Ranma's breasts, as the dress slipped from Ranma's fingers, and the redhead began to giggle nervously.

"Mitsune?" Naru asked tiredly, staring at the floor.

"Um... yes?" Mitsune hazarded, peeking over Ranma's shoulder.

"I need to talk to you-" She broke off at a sudden pattering of feet down the hallway, and glanced towards the open door. "Oops - it'll have to wait." The woman stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind her without seeming to register the awkward position of the people within.

"Wait a minute," she said slowly from outside the door. "Did I just see-"

Ranma wasted no time, surging into motion faster than Mitsune's eyes could follow. By the time Naru opened the door again, Mitsune was in the same position, blinking, and wearing the black dress. Ranma was seated on the opposite side of the room, trying to look nonchalant and wearing her T-shirt.

Naru peered around in confusion, then shook her head. "Sorry Kitsune, Oe-san. I thought I saw something strange," she apologized, closing the door again.

"Yeesh," Ranma mumbled, climbing to her feet, and shaking her head. "Doesn't she know how to knock?"

"Ack," Mitsune noised, remembering to breathe. "How did you do that?"

"I've had lots of practice," Ranma mumbled. "You learn to change clothes really fast with a condition like mine."

"Oh."

"So, did I get out of trying on the dress?" Ranma asked hopefully.

"Er ... for now," Mitsune allowed, smiling slyly at Ranma.

"Thanks," Ranma sighed, shaking her head. "I think."

XXX

Ranma waved to Keitaro, nodding her head at him as he finished the long climb up the stairs before the inn. "Heya, Kanrinin," she greeted. "The contractors are about to head out - they just wanted to get set up today, I guess." The redhead smiled slightly, raising her head. "Hey, Suu-chan, Shinobu - how was school?"

"School was fine, Oe-san," Shinobu said, smiling hesitantly.

"Oooh, this Ranma is still a girl!" Suu said, leaping from Keitaro's shoulders to scamper across the courtyard and examine Ranma closely. "Can we sleep together tonight, too?"

Shinobu paled slightly and bowed, excusing herself. "I need to do my homework," she apologized, edging away.

"Thanks again, Oe-san," Keitaro said, bowing slightly himself. "I found a nice spot in town where we can talk, and drink tea. Er ... would you mind having tea with me?"

"Of course not!" Ranma said, smirking. "I agreed to this yesterday, didn't I?"

"Auuugh," Shinobu noised quietly, running towards the inn, followed shortly by Suu.

"I wonder what that was all about," Ranma mused, turning to look after the schoolgirls. "Oh! That reminds me - how'd you do on your test?"

"I got a perfect score!" Keitaro exclaimed exuberantly. "I can't wait to tell Narusegawa!"

"Good for you," Ranma encouraged, glancing back over her shoulder at the inn. "I'm going to change back before we go out. When did you want to take care of that?"

"Oh, uh, I need to tell Narusegawa how well I did - I got out before she did, and then we were separated before we got to the bus," Keitaro explained, looking up to the front of the inn. The man sighed, smiling, and stretched his arms over his head. "What a great day!"

"Seems pretty good to me," Ranma said agreeably, moments before a rounded, speeding blur slammed into the back of Keitaro's head. The blur resolved itself into a little girl, her knee driven into the back of Keitaro's neck while she grinned impishly. "Uh... maybe I spoke too soon," Ranma said, frowning.

"Who are you?" the blonde asked, blinking at Ranma curiously.

"Oe Ranma," the redhead said, nodding. "And you are?"

"Sarah MacDougal!" the girl exclaimed proudly. "Papa-san said that there was someone new at the inn to play with, but he said it was a boy."

"You'll meet him soon enough," Ranma said dryly, shooing the girl away from Keitaro as the man righted himself unsteadily. "But, uh, do you live here, too?"

"Nope, I live with Haruka."

"Is your Papa-san Seta?" Ranma asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Yep! Papa-san teaches me martial arts - he said he was teaching the new person martial arts, too." The girl grinned. "This'll be fun!"

"Maybe," Keitaro said, shaking his head. "Sarah, don't go trying to hit, uh ... the new tenant once you meet him."

Ranma rolled her eyes. "I guess you're busy, and the contractors are on their way out. I'm going to get some hot water. Go ahead and tell me when you've got some time for that thing we were talking about earlier," Ranma advised.

Keitaro nodded, as Tamago flitted down to land atop his head, waving at Ranma.

XXX

The flow of Naru's words melded into a low distressed mumble, of which Mitsune paid only partial attention to, most of her thoughts instead centering around the outfit that had seemed to stun Ranma. "... and I'm afraid to let anyone know how badly I did on the practice test," the woman concluded sadly. "What should I do?"

"Eh?" Mitsune managed, blinking at her friend. "You think Keitaro did better than you?"

"Even Keitaro has to score higher than zero," Naru mourned.

"Zero?" Mitsune asked, offering Naru her most sympathetic look. "Is that bad?"

Naru shook her head, sighing. "It's really bad," she mumbled. "Really, really, really bad."

"Oooh. Well, I'm sure something worse could happen than failing a practice test." The door flew open at that point sliding into the wall with a loud bang, revealing a wide-eyed and heavily breathing Shinobu.

"Aauuugh! Kitsune-san, I need your advice!" the girl wailed, pitching herself at Mitsune's feet.

"Eh?" Mitsune managed again, blinking at the girl. "Why's everyone coming to me for help?"

"Kitsune-san, I think that Urashima-sempai is interested in Ranma - he asked her ... her ... her ... asked her out to tea!"

"Ack!" Mitsune responded as eloquently as possible. "You mean... asked out to drink tea, tea, or asked out to a love hotel?"

She blinked, mulling that over for a second, while Shinobu wobbled unsteadily at the mere mention. "Um, wait, we already remember what Ranma said last night. I thought it was ... wait, something doesn't make sense."

"Keitaro is trying to do what with Oe?" Naru asked, one eyebrow ticking.

"This calls for investigation," Mitsune announced, climbing to her feet and nodding boldly. "Where are they going?"

"I know where it is! Urashima-sempai is going to take Oe-san to the Lower Hinata Tea-house," Shinobu explained quickly, recovering herself.

"Okay, quick, dress up casually so they won't suspect us, and let's chase after them!"

XXX

Ranma shifted his shoulders uncomfortably, walking alongside Keitaro down the street, away from the Hinata-Sou. "You ever get that strange feeling you're being watched?" Ranma asked, cocking his head to one side and glancing sidelong at the other man.

"Right now?" he asked, glancing up at Tamago, who was looking behind Keitaro intently. "Yeah, actually, but I'm kind of used to it, I guess. Why?"

"No reason," Ranma said, shaking his head. "So, where are we going?"

"I found a tea shop earlier today. It's nothing spectacular, but I thought that you might like it more than the inn, since you were there all day," Keitaro explained.

"Well, I did get to go out for okonomiyaki with Kitsune," Ranma reasoned. "So we could have just gone to the tea house back at the inn - heck, if you wanted, I could have made tea in the kitchen."

"You know how to make tea?" Keitaro asked, surprised.

Ranma sighed, sticking his hands into his pockets. "I know the tea ceremony," he said offhandedly. "I mean ... I had to learn it, when I was a kid. I kind of figured everyone would know the basics, though. Don't you?"

"Actually, I do," Keitaro admitted, chuckling ruefully. "My parents made me learn it when I was younger. Erm. Anyway, what would you like to talk about?"

"Tell me about your parents, I guess," Ranma suggested, shrugging.

"Er ... maybe something else?" Keitaro asked. "I ... don't like to talk about them much."

"You won't get any complaints from me," Ranma mumbled, shaking his head. Raising his voice slightly, he asked, "Why don't you tell me about how you ended up moving into an all girl's dorm."

"Oh, well, that's actually a funny story," Keitaro began, gesturing towards the tea house as they neared it. "I was looking for my grandmother..."

XXX

Creeping along carefully, Naru a step ahead, and Shinobu a step behind, Mitsune peered around her newspaper cautiously. She was dressed in an inconspicuous trenchcoat, along with a matching fedora. The papers in her hand had been chosen carefully for maximum subtlety. She imagined, however, the effect would have been more convincing had Shinobu and Naru not dressed identically.

"Are you sure this is casual?" Shinobu asked, her voice quavering slightly.

"They aren't noticing us, are they?" Naru countered.

Mitsune, of course, had her own suspicions as to why they hadn't been noticed, and that was the fact that neither of the men seemed particularly observant. "They probably will, if we're not quiet," she warned. The other two immediately bowed their heads behind their newspapers as the men entered the tea house.

Shinobu spoke - though the newspaper she still held muffled her voice. "Why are we spying on them? Oe-san wasn't ... a girl, so it's just two men, right? That's normal, isn't it?"

"Two men, alone at night in an inn filled with pretty girls like myself?" Mitsune asked. Shinobu flinched from behind her paper. "And they talk about the tea ceremony on the way here?" Naru winced this time, dropping her newspaper to look at Mitsune in dismay. "Neither of them want to talk about their parents?"

"Okay, so the clues are all there, but that doesn't really make any sense! We don't know Oe, but Keitaro is a pervert! He's always trying to peep at one of us," Naru asserted. "He couldn't possibly be..."

Mitsune smiled grimly when Naru trailed off, unable to convince herself. "Maybe that's all a clever ruse," she warned. "Maybe that's why he tries so hard to peep - he's overcompensating because he's not sure how to act normally."

"Keitaro ... is not like that," Naru protested weakly. "Is he?"

"It makes so much sense!" Shinobu sobbed quietly. "He told me today that he had important news for you, Narusegawa-sempai, he said: 'It's about Oe. But don't worry about that, now. Once I talk to Narusegawa, then I think I can honestly say that you girls will all be in good hands'." She sniffled, shaking her head sadly. "He must have meant that he wanted to tell you that he doesn't need to pretend anymore, and the inn will be ... pervert free once he ... tells you." The girl dropped her newspaper to the ground, bowing her head and staring at her feet. "I'm sorry, Narusegawa-sempai..."

"But... But ... why?" Naru asked plaintively. "Why ... would he want it to be here, and not at the tea house at Hinata-Sou?"

"Good question," Mitsune mused. "Let's go inside and try to listen in."

In relatively short order, Mitsune had managed to wrangle a position in a booth not far from Keitaro and Ranma. Shinobu simply hid behind her newspaper, while the older pair listened intently to what they could of the conversation.

"... and that was pretty much how my first day at Hinata-Sou went," Keitaro concluded.

"Wow. Sounds like I got off lucky, just being attacked by Motoko," Ranma noted.

"Well, I wouldn't speak poorly of Narusegawa," Keitaro protested.

"Nah, I'm not saying anything bad, but she's just ... eh, not my type." There was a pause, then, Shinobu waving away a server as Mitsune and Naru traded glances. "Anyway, I guess you probably had some questions about this morning, right?"

"Um ... with the missing ... panties?" Keitaro asked hesitantly. "Er ... yes, I am a bit curious."

"It wasn't me, it was someone I knew from ... a long time ago," Ranma grumbled. "Suffice to say, he won't be back until tomorrow, and then I'll finish things with him for good."

"Oh, that's a relief," Keitaro said, sighing slightly. "I was worried for a moment."

"Sounds like Oe's not completely finished with a relationship," Naru whispered to Mitsune.

Mitsune paled and shook her head quickly. "I'm pretty sure that's not what they're talking about. I mean, Ranma? With ... that old guy? Yuck!"

Naru was about to speak again, until she heard her name mentioned. "... Narusegawa is really nice," Keitaro's voice announced. "With her help, I think I can really get into Toudai this year."

"I've heard enough," Naru said quietly, shaking her head. "Let's leave."

"But, don't you want to hear what else they talk about?" Mitsune asked. "I mean, we don't know for certain if-"

"I don't want to hear it!" Naru snapped, wincing at how high she had raised her voice. She glanced across the table to where Shinobu was sitting, head bowed, and eyes wide. Speaking more softly, she added, "I just ... need to go home."

"Okay," Mitsune whispered, one hand patting Naru's shoulder comfortingly. "I didn't know... Well, let's get out of here."

As they crept away, pointedly ignoring the confused waitress, the last of Keitaro and Ranma's conversation reached them:

"How many years have you been trying?"

"Er ... four," the man said in a somewhat weaker voice. "But, this time for sure!"

"That's nothing to be ashamed of," Ranma assured him, chuckling. "I dropped out of high school and ended up making the missed years up on the road. But I'm going to make it into Toudai for sure - I want Aniki to be proud."

"You really like your older brother?" Keitaro asked.

"Yeah," Ranma said in a much more subdued voice. "Family ... is very important."

The sun was just setting as the three walked down the street, Naru and Mitsune side-by-side, Shinobu some distance away. She needed time to think about what was going on.

Naru was obviously uncertain how to deal with the revelation, so she decided she couldn't fault herself for being unsure, as well. But ... it was so unfair! She had never gotten a chance to confess her own feelings to Keitaro!

XXX

A heavy sigh echoed from Naru, and Shinobu froze, turning to look at the woman. A distracted apology was murmured to a pedestrian that took a step around her, standing still as she was. Was Naru, too, disappointed? Shinobu felt that for all of her violence towards the man, Naru felt more than she showed, but ... was she upset about the lost opportunity, as well?

Part of Shinobu's mind immediately tried to cheer her; if she never confessed to him, she never had to worry about how he would have had to treat her, considering his actual preference. Though, somehow, that felt like it wasn't much of a consolation.

Her musing was interrupted by a sudden succession of noises. The first was a loud, deep rumbling, one that made itself felt throughout the evening air, and reverberated through the street. A shrill squealing echo that bounced eagerly across the close buildings lining the road to assault her ears followed it. The next in the rapid procession of sounds was the deep, grating blat of an air-horn, sending a chilled shiver of panic up her spine. As she turned around to try and look at the source of the noise, a final sound joined the ensuing cacophony; that of tires scraping for desperate purchase on a too-slick road as several tons of truck skidded towards her, faster than her reflexes would carry her away.

The irony, she decided, was that her biggest regret would have been being unable to confess to Keitaro, had she not learned that he wasn't interested in girls at all. Her final ruminations sluggishly worked their way through her mind as she stared at the grill of the approaching metal behemoth, maintaining their lurid pace as the pedestrian she had murmured an apology to suddenly reappeared before her, drawing a flashing line of glimmering light vertically through the air.

Her eyelids lazily swam closed and then reopened, watching a matching line of blackness suddenly cleave the truck cleanly in two. It separated along the divide, one half sliding past her, as everything suddenly sped up, and the next thing she knew she was staring straight up at the first stars of evening.

The pedestrian, vaguely familiar at the periphery of her vision, peered down at her. "Are you okay?" she asked in a much more familiar voice.

"I'm sorry, Motoko-sempai," she said without thinking. "Do I have to sleep with you to thank you, now?"

The woman above her blinked and leaned closer, eyes widening slightly and peering deep into her own. "You know Motoko-han?" she asked, one eyebrow rising. "Strange, I know she was never one to associate too closely with males, but that, I would not have expected of her."

"Oh, sure," Shinobu said, blinking, and still lost in the haze of panic from the oncoming truck. "It makes sense. She's that way, Urashima-sempai and Oe-san are that way. Maybe Kitsune-san and Narusegawa-sempai are, too!"

"I ... see," the woman said slowly, looking up. "I think that this poor girl is in shock. Do you know where she lives?"

"Shinobu?" Naru asked, suddenly entering the girl's field of vision. "Are you alright? Shinobu-chan?"

"I'm okay," she giggled, struggling to sit up as the haze over her thoughts began to thin. "Oh, oh no! I shouldn't have said those things - I'm sorry! I don't know what I was talking about!"

"Ah, good. It was merely the shock, then," the woman said, one hand going to caress the beak of a bird that landed on her shoulder. "Am I given to understand, however, that you know my younger sister?"

"Younger sister?" Shinobu asked in tandem with Naru and Mitsune.

"Yes! It's been so long since I've seen poor Motoko-han, and just yesterday I received an urgent ... message from her saying that she required my assistance with a certain ... situation involving her lodgings." The woman stood to her full height, one hand going to the sheathed sword at her hip. "Do you know, perhaps, where she dwells?"

"She lives with us," Shinobu said, face flushing. "Only, um, forget what I said earlier, I didn't mean it and she only sleeps with one other girl and she only tried to-" she silenced herself by the simple expedient of clapping her hands over her mouth.

"It would seem as though something is amiss," the woman mused quietly. "Allow me to introduce myself - my name is Aoyama Tsuroko."

XXX

Whistling tunelessly to himself, Ranma walked jauntily forward, staring up at the stars, and nodding absently as Keitaro babbled on about how bad Naru really wasn't, Oe-san, if you'd just listen! Occasionally, he would offer a grudging nod, as though the man had convinced him of some point or another, while in reality, his thoughts were focusing on what they needed to - the match he was going to be fighting against Happosai the next day.

The old man had beaten him soundly, as little as Ranma wanted to admit it. Moreover, he had needed to call upon a very dirty trick. One he hated to employ.

And it hadn't worked.

Kintaro had shown him the basics, but Ranma had always felt that Kintaro's martial arts simply weren't up to par with Anything Goes. And he liked admitting that even less. The possibility existed in his mind that he was doing something wrong, and he knew that the Art as Kintaro had presented it was about more than just combat.

But at the same time, how could something that focused on so many things still be good for fighting? Especially against an art as focused as Anything Goes. He had learned a few martial arts techniques over the years, and had expected by his rather simple victory over Motoko that he had gotten better. Much better.

And then Happosai had come and beaten him so easily.

Obviously, the answer was more training, but Ranma was uncertain how he could manage that, considering that the rematch was only a day away. And Kintaro had said, "Life is training, Otouto. More than that, training ... is life!" Ranma had written that one down in his notebook, but had the unnerving suspicion that he hadn't actually learned it yet.

"... what do you suppose happened here, Oe?" Keitaro asked suddenly.

Stopping his casual march, Ranma lowered his gaze, blinking as his eyes came to rest upon the two neatly bisected halves of a large delivery truck. The apparent driver of the vehicle was sitting on the side of the road, eyes wide. On the street next to him, a scintillating collection of glass shards sat in a small pool of alcohol, and all about pedestrians stared at the sight in shock.

Ranma hopped over to the side of the truck and leaned over to examine the engine of the vehicle. While he was unfamiliar with how they worked, he suspected the razor-fine slash that formed a perfect plane across the workings of the device was not an aspect normally associated with standard operations.

"Huh," he mumbled, rubbing his chin. The truck looked to be heavy, and the halves had dragged a good distance along the street before it came to a halt. "Someone cut the truck in half," he deduced.

"Oe-san?" Keitaro asked incredulously. "Who? Do you think it was ... Motoko-chan?"

"Eh? Motoko?" Ranma rubbed his chin thoughtfully and reexamined the cut. "No," he said after a moment. "It's too fine. Whoever did this never actually cut the truck. It was done with a blade of vacuum, and I've seen hers - unless she was holding back a lot every time she fought me, it was someone else. Still, I do wonder who did this." He strode towards the man sitting on the sidewalk. "Excuse me - is this truck yours?"

"Never again," the man mumbled, shaking his head. "Blue-haired little girl ... coulda been an accident. Never again."

Ranma's eyes narrowed in anger. "Driving while he's drunk," he spat. "Idiot. Kanrinin, can you give me a hand?"

"With what?" Keitaro asked, scratching his head.

Ranma strode to the nearest half of the truck and pushed against it carefully. "I'm going to try and move these," he said, grabbing the frame, and testing the leverage of the obstruction. "Can you make sure no one's in the way?"

"Eh?" Keitaro exclaimed, as Ranma heaved upwards on the truck and dragged it towards its matching half, easily a distance of four meters before letting it drop to the road.

"There," he said, leaning over to catch his breath. "Thanks, Kanrinin. Now they can get something in here to clear this hunk of junk out.

"How ... did you do that?" Keitaro managed, after a moment.

"I spent a few months with the Department of Public Works in Hokkaido," Ranma said, shrugging. "They'd get boulders and trees falling all over the roads on the pass I was working at. Luckily, it was mostly snow and hail, so the work wasn't bad," Ranma reasoned. "Why?"

Keitaro goggled at Ranma. "The Department of Public Works must have very high standards," he finally said. "I don't think most people could even push that truck if it were on four wheels, let alone drag it like that!"

"Oh, that," Ranma said dismissively. "That's nothin- Wait, that guy said something about a little girl with blue hair, right? Crap! Kanrinin, we gotta get back and check on Shinobu-chan! What if it's her?"

Ranma only gave Keitaro enough time to blink before seizing the man's arm and hurtling down the street. The Hinata-Sou was only three quick jumps away, and Ranma bounced for a fourth leap from the top of the steps, entering the open window into the sitting area on the second floor without a second thought. The lights indicated that someone was there.

Indeed, Shinobu was there, sitting on a couch next to Naru and Mitsune. Suu skipped down the hall a half-second later, waving cheerily at Ranma, while the other females just stared at him. Ranma glanced down and saw that Keitaro was clinging to him with wide eyes, and shivering slightly.

"Kanrinin," Ranma said, shaking a leg and trying to dislodge the man. "Ride's over."

"Whee!" Suu exclaimed, latching onto his other leg. "My turn!"

Keitaro disengaged his grip and rose unsteadily, until he regained his focus. "Shinobu-chan! Are you okay?" he asked, leaning over to inspect the girl.

She blushed reflexively and bowed her head, looking away. "I'm ... fine, Urashima-sempai," she said, nodding quietly.

"That's a relief," Ranma grumbled, frowning at the other girl that latched onto his leg the second Keitaro had let go. "So, you're Sarah, right?"

"Yes!" the little girl said, clinging to him tightly. "Papa-san says that I should play with you to help you train!"

"Swell," Ranma sighed. "Any other surprises I should know about?"

"Ranma!" a chillingly familiar voice greeted him.

The man's eyes widened, and he tried to back away, but was tangled up in the children clinging to his legs. "Uh-oh," he said quietly. "Um, hello?"

Motoko, who he had missed, smiled at him triumphantly. "And now the truth is revealed, Oe-san," she murmured.

A woman eerily similar to Motoko stepped out from behind the girl. "It's been so long!" she enthused, rushing him while he was trapped and hugging him tightly, his face pressed into her bosom. "Ranma! How are you doing?"

"Can't ... breathe," he gasped, until the woman loosened her grip on him. "Um, it's been a while, Tsuroko-sensei."

"Ranma," she said sternly, pouting. "Is that any way to address me?"

"Er... Sorry, Tsuroko-chan?" Ranma hazarded, smiling nervously.

"Much better!" the woman enthused. "Tell me, Ranma, where- Rather, how is your brother?"

"You know my sister?" Motoko yelped. "How? Why? This is not fair - how could you possibly have known her, and not heard of me!"

"Ah, I see that Ranma's still not learned to improve on his horrible memory with names," Tsuroko giggled.  


* * *

Author's Notes:

Mad props to everyone who's C&Ced for me so far:

Rez, Dracos, Pavel, Gin, Bjorn, Mr. Sommer, Therm... and anyone else I forgot to mention.

Thanks to Chibi-Ginn for his help with this chapter. And previous chapters, once they're revised! 


	5. Can I Win?

The room was silent for a long minute, until it was broken by the sound of Motoko collapsing to the floor, eyes vacant.

"Erm," Ranma noised. "Uh, Tsuruko-sen-" He cut off, swallowing nervously when the woman shot him a disapproving look. "Ah, that is, Tsuruko-chan, I think someone should look at your sister to make sure she's okay."

"You are most correct," the woman agreed.

Another moment of silent was born, briefly.

Coughing, Ranma said, "Er ... I think that since everyone else is kind of out of it at the moment, it should be me."

"I concur," the woman murmured.

Once more, silence reigned, though not for long.

"This would be a lot easier if you would let go of me."

"I imagine it would."

Ranma winced, squirming uncomfortably. "Um, Tsuruko-chan, could you please let go of me so that I can make sure Motoko's okay?"

Pouting, the woman asked, "Why should I, when they haven't?"

Suu and Sarah's eyes sparkled brightly as they stared upwards at Ranma, still clinging to his legs.  


* * *

Diamonds in the Rough - Chapter Four - Can I Win?

Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine. That's all.

Notes: Divergences should become apparent as relevant.  


* * *

Rousing himself from the stunned silence that permeated the room, Keitaro ambled to Motoko's side and knelt, checking her pulse. "She's breathing fine," he assured Ranma, still trapped in Tsuruko's embrace, with Suu and Sarah clinging to a leg each. "Um, Aoyama-san, I don't think I can carry her alone," he said, raising an eyebrow hopefully.

Sighing, the woman finally released Ranma, who quickly extracted himself from the two girls and scrambled to Motoko's side. Lifting the girl in his arms, he nodded his thanks to Keitaro. "Where to, Kanrinin?" he asked dutifully.

Keitaro led the way, and the pair quickly left the room, Tsuruko following close behind.

After reaching the girl's room, Ranma set her down, and Tsuruko tucked her in. Keitaro stood respectfully near the door, while Ranma dashed to hide behind him, peering at the sisters over his shoulder. Motoko roused after a moment, and blinked. "Aneue?" she asked hesitantly, her voice very small and frightened. "I had the most awful dream!"

"Whatever about, Motoko-han?" Tsuruko asked, as her bird rustled its wings on her shoulder.

"I dreamt that Oe's corruption had spread so far that even you fell under his dark spell," Motoko murmured, shuddering.

"I wouldn't call it a dark spell at all!" Tsuruko refuted gleefully. "Kintaro is so wonderful - pity he left before I could speak to him about his service to the dojo."

Motoko furrowed her brows, blinking. "Kintaro? I meant Ranma. Who is Kintaro?"

"Aniki," Ranma supplied from his hiding spot behind Keitaro. "We worked at your sister's dojo for a while."

"No!" Motoko shrieked, jumping to her feet and fumbling for her sword. "That cannot be! Oe, explain what you have done to my sister! At once!"

"I didn't do anything!" Ranma asserted, waving his hands before himself defensively. "I was in charge of setting up practice dummies, leading the youngest students in training, and Aniki helped me maintain the grounds! But I never did _anything_ to your sister."

"Such a pity," Tsuruko sighed. "But, he speaks the truth. Now, Motoko-han, have you summoned me here simply because you were frightened of Ranma?"

"Frightened? Never! I fear no male," the girl asserted, shooting Ranma a dark look. "But... But Oe-san has secrets that I fear bring ill tidings to the inn." She blinked and smiled slightly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Just this morning, some foul spawn infiltrated this very inn, and stole all of the panties within."

The sound of wind blowing across the roof filled the room for a long moment, echoed only by a faint scream of rage from one of the lower floors. "I should go," Keitaro decided abruptly, backing away. "Uh, if you need me for anything, I'll be in my room."

"You can't leave me here alone!" Ranma hissed, a little too loudly. "I mean, please, Kanrinin! I need you here!"

"Um... why?" Keitaro asked, looking nervously at the sword-bearing sisterly duo, and then to Ranma, practically cowering behind him.

"I know why!" Mitsune announced gleefully, poking her head into the doorway.

"You do? I mean, uh, yeah! She does!" Ranma encouraged, nodding quickly at the woman. "She knows!"

"He doesn't want to you to leave him alone because you two are a couple," she asserted, winking at Keitaro.

Ranma's eyes remained in the same position, and his mouth opened slightly. He seemed frozen that way for a long moment, and then said, "Err..."

"Err..." Keitaro agreed.

"What?" Motoko asked quietly, scratching her head. "Is _that_ why Oe-san wanted to go to an all-girl's inn? Bah - it makes sense now! All along he was saying that I liked girls, when it was really just that he liked boys!"

"Um..." Ranma defended himself.

"No need to be shy, Kanrinin," Mitsune encouraged, winking again. "We know all about your little date earlier tonight, and the ... agreement for Ranma's rent."

"Uh?" Keitaro eloquently queried.

"And you never have to worry about being treated differently by me," the woman continued, unabated. "Even better, we can go shopping together all the time, now!"

"Oh, joy," Ranma intoned, slumping.

"There are lots of benefits! You and Keitaro can probably trade clothes - you couldn't do that while you were seeing a girl, now could you? Oh, wait, I guess _you_ could..." Mitsune trailed off, frowning, and touched a finger to her lips. "Err ... anyhow, I just wanted to tell the two of you that you have my full support, and that Keitaro was right; us girls are all in good hands, because neither of you will ever take advantage of us."

"Thank you, Kitsune," Ranma said in a very quiet, level tone.

Beaming at Ranma, the woman replied, "You're welcome!"

"But, you see, there's just one little thing about that..."

"Yes?" she asked, cocking her head to one side, blinking inquisitively.

"Yeah, you see, I'm, um, what's that word? _Not_ gay?"

Mitsune blinked, staring between Ranma, Keitaro, and then the completely stunned Aoyama sisters. "Oh, dear," she murmured. "Are you sure?"

"Yes I am sure I'm _not_ gay!" Ranma bellowed, causing the woman to flinch backwards. "Why the hell do you think I _am_?"

"Er ... you saw me in my underwear and didn't try to take advantage of me?"

"I was a girl at the- Oh, hells," Ranma growled, advancing on the woman, grabbing her wrist, and then sweeping her into a fierce, searching kiss.

Mitsune struggled for the first few seconds, but quickly eased into the contact, purring deeply. Keitaro blinked a few times, then covered his nose with both hands and began to back away, while Tsuruko murmured, "Oh, my," and placed a hand across Motoko's wide eyes.

After easily a minute, Ranma released the woman, who sagged against him deliriously, giggling. "Shows what you know," he retorted.

"Oooh," Mitsune purred, running a hand across his shoulder. "Educate me, Ranma!"

"Oh, Ranma," Tsuruko piped up, waving her free hand at him. "I believe you're interested in men, as well!"

"Ack?" Ranma noised, dropping Mitsune to the floor and hiding behind Keitaro again.

"It was worth the attempt," Tsuruko sighed, dropping her hands to her sides, and allowing Motoko to see again. "Now, though that _was_ certainly ... educational ... what's this about missing panties, Motoko-han?"

"What? Oh, right, the missing kisses," Motoko said. She paused, blinking, and furrowed her brows. "Um. Missing panties."

"Okay," Keitaro said, shaking his head, hands still clamped across his nose. "This time I'm really leaving."

"Uh-oh," Ranma mumbled, backing into a corner, as Keitaro marched out of the room.

"You can hide behind me!" Mitsune suggested, winking at Ranma and grinning widely.

Sighing, Ranma hung his head in defeat. "Why me?" he moaned. "Um, Tsuruko-chan, what happened was - do you remember what I said about Happosai?"

The woman's demeanor shifted instantly from the calm, playful grin with eagerly watchful eyes, to a much more purposeful grin, with wiser eyes. "I do, Ranma," she said regretfully. "Has he returned to taint your life once more?"

"Uh ... yeah. I thought I saw the last of him when I..." He trailed off clearing his throat uneasily and staring at his feet.

"Left your old home," Tsuruko supplied, pursing her lips. "I hadn't imagined your paths would cross again, either, but who can know the future?"

"I was kind of hoping you would, actually," Ranma said nervously. "Um ... can I talk to you for a few minutes, alone?"

"Of course," Tsuruko said, nodding.

XXX

Walking down the hall slowly, Keitaro shook his head. "What a strange day," he murmured to himself. "They say with the good, comes the bad. No one ever said, 'with Ranma, things get _really_ weird,' though."

"'With a Ranma, things get really weird,'" Suu parroted at him, dropping from a hidden handhold along the ceiling to cling to his back. "What's a 'strange'? Is it delicious?"

"I guess it could be," Keitaro said doubtfully. "But it's just a word that means out of the ordinary. Why do you ask?"

"Hmm... Naru said that Keitaro was strange," Suu assessed. "And Keitaros are very out of the ordinary, but not very delicious."

"Um, thanks, I think," Keitaro mumbled, pulling the girl from his back and setting her on the floor. "Don't you have homework to do or something?"

"Maaaaaaybe," the girl sang, skipping away down the hall.

Still, it had reminded Keitaro of something important; he'd never gotten around to telling Naru about his practice test score. Path set, he began marching again, this time towards her room. Maybe strange things were going on, but for once, his own luck was looking up. Other than the fact that Mitsune had thought he was interested in Ranma, but he doubted any damage had been done by that one wayward assessment.

Arriving at Naru's door, he knocked twice. "Hello?" he called out, before she could respond.

"Just a moment, I'm... Oh, come on in, Keitaro," Naru said, her voice strangely unenthusiastic.

Smiling proudly, Keitaro double-checked to assure that his test result was still in his pocket, and opened the door. He blinked twice and closed the door, then turned around and clamped his hands over his nose again. "Not inside!" he protested without thinking.

"It's not like it's a big deal," Naru said in annoyance, sliding the door open and pulling him into her room.

"Ack!" Keitaro protested, closing his eyes. Naru was wearing nothing more than a rather thin nightgown, nearly transparent, and a pair of white cotton panties. "Um, Narusegawa, why aren't you wearing anything?"

"I'm wearing enough," she said simply.

Peeking through his fingers at her, and trying to allow himself to only see her face, he asked, "Enough for what?" That question answered itself quickly; she obviously knew how well he had done on the test, and wanted to take the next step in their relationship. "Wait! Wait! Not like this! Um, I mean, don't you want to wait before we do this?"

"Does it really matter?" Naru sighed. "I mean ... there's nothing wrong with familiarity. Not now, anyway."

"I still think you're rushing things!" he protested, unable to admit that he didn't mind that much aloud. "Um, Narusegawa ... can I talk to you about something, first?" Even if she already knew how well he did on the test, he had to tell her himself.

"I... Okay," she mumbled. Climbing to her feet, she strode across the room, grabbed a robe, and pulled it on over the thin nightshirt. "Go ahead and tell me, Keitaro."

"Er ... right," he said lowering his hand from before his face, and smiling triumphantly. "Um, see, what I had wanted to tell you, Narusegawa, is that I owe you a lot for your help, because without it, I would never have been able to-"

"No!" Naru yelled suddenly, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I can't! I ... go away, Keitaro! Leave me alone!"

"Eh ... what?" Keitaro asked, backing towards the door quickly. "What's wrong?"

"I thought... I thought..." She closed her eyes, shaking her head. "I thought I was ready for it, but I can't hear it from you, Keitaro. Not yet. Please leave!"

Nodding slowly, the man left her room, sliding the door open carefully and staring at his feet. "I understand," he said quietly. "I ... couldn't stand rushing this. It's really important. I'll wait until you're ready, Naru."

Her head drooping, the girl slid the door to her room shut, leaving Keitaro alone in the hall.

XXX

Motoko stood in the hallway outside her own room, arms crossed over her chest. Not far away, leaning against the wall away from Motoko's room, Mitsune fanned herself with a hand, face reddened slightly. "Are you okay?" the kendoka hesitantly asked. "Oe has touched you against your will - I assure you that I am willing to do anything within my power to remove him for his transgression."

"Against my will?" the woman mused, her blush fading. "Well, maybe at first, but it was worth it. I don't want him to leave."

"But ... but he kissed you! Without your permission!" Motoko protested, dropping her hands to her sides and balling her hands into fists. "How can you simply allow that to happen?"

Mitsune smiled, touching a finger to her lips and looking distant. "'Stolen kisses are/a part of a sweet youth that/vanishes too soon,'" she quoted. Motoko furrowed her brow, relaxing only slightly. "And I'll admit - after everything else I heard, it probably would have taken that to convince me. Aside from which, it wasn't entirely undeserved on my part."

"But ... it was a man! Touching you! Pressing his lips against yours!" Motoko shook her head, staring at her feet. "How can submitting to that be pleasant?"

"Well, the thing he did with his tongue helped a bit," Mitsune said quietly. "But outside of that, I think you're giving the practice a bad name. It's more fun than you might think."

Motoko sighed, shaking her head again. How on earth could close contact between two people be a good thing? Especially contact _that_ close? Seeking to change the subject, she pitched her voice low, and asked, "What do you suppose that Oe and Aneue are talking about? I cannot believe that she knows ... that monster we faced this morning."

Raising an eyebrow, Mitsune stepped past Motoko to place her hand against the door, then leaned close and pressed her ear against it. One eyebrow rose immediately, and she gestured Motoko closer.

Hesitating, Motoko considered her choices. On the one hand, while she trusted her sister, she did not trust Oe. On the other hand, it was her own room, and her sister was behaving strangely around him. In retrospect, she realized that it was folly to try and consider such a thing; she knew already what she should do. "Mitsune-san!" she hissed quietly. "What you are doing is wrong!"

"Oh?" Mitsune whispered, frowning. "Aren't you curious?"

"Of course I am! And you should not use up all of the good listening places."

Mitsune smirked and shifted her position. Motoko leaned nearby, pressing her ear to the door and closing her eyes to concentrate. She extended her senses, as her training had led her to, to detect the most hushed nuances of the world around her. Specifically, the speech from the other side of the door.

"Can you make it out?" Mitsune breathed. "It's a bit too quiet."

Obligingly, Motoko repeated what she heard quietly, as Ranma's voice asked:

"So, now that you know that, what should I do?"

"Hmm," Tsuruko mused. "It is a difficult decision to make, Ranma. But, at the same, when you were younger and stayed at our dojo, you were never one to seek guidance from any but your own brother."

"Well, Aniki's really smart about these things," Ranma said defensively. As an afterthought, he added, "Most of the time, anyway."

Tsuruko giggled quietly. "Ranma, you would probably be wise to follow his counsel, but he can not always be here to advise you."

"I... I know that," Ranma mumbled. "But the whole thing is just ... you know, I'm not sure I can handle this alone. I think I've lost my edge."

Motoko's sister sighed sadly. "Oh, Ranma... I wish I could help you, but this is ... a test. How can you ever grow if you always need to ask someone else for help?"

"Hey! I like being able to depend on myself," Ranma protested defensively. "And now you're saying that when I'm finally ready to ask for help, I can't get it?"

"That isn't very fair, is it?" Tsuruko asked.

"But life is like that, isn't it?" Ranma countered, calming himself. "Okay, well, since I can't ask you for help, that must mean I already know the answer." There was a moment of silence before Ranma spoke again, as though reading from a page. "'When all else fails, follow your heart, and give it your all.'"

"Is that good advice?"

Ranma sighed. "I'm not sure. No, I don't think that's it. And all else hasn't failed yet. I get the feeling that this is really obvious, too."

"Perhaps you shouldn't look for it too hard?" Tsuruko suggested.

"Maybe," Ranma hedged. "But if you're not supposed to help me, you don't need to help me. I do have a favor I'd like to ask you, though."

"Yes?"

Motoko furrowed her brow, wishing she could pick out the sound more easily, and repositioned herself slightly against the door.

"Um ... Tsuruko-chan, could you please convince your sister that I'm not here to molest her, or anyone else here?"

"I will, Ranma, but..."

Motoko grimaced, as the conversation dropped below her hearing level, and pulled her ear from the door for a moment, pursing her lips as she considered what to do next. The rushing sound of the door sliding open startled her, and she froze, eyes opening cautiously. Mitsune stood by, surprised, and only centimeters away from Motoko herself.

"Uh-oh," the woman whispered.

Tsuruko stood inside the opened doorway, one eyebrow rising. "I would advise more discretion in the future, Motoko-han," Tsuruko said cheerily. "If you're trying to hide your ... preference ... more subtlety might be in order."

"Ack?" Motoko noised, wincing.

Ranma stood behind Tsuruko and rolled his eyes. "My! Do try not to bother Ranma, Motoko-han. He's a friend to our dojo. You would be well advised to respect him."

"Why me?" the girl protested. "I was not trying to kiss Mitsune-san! I was only trying to eavesdrop on you!" She clapped her hands over her mouth, eyes widening in panic.

"Oh, my, look at the time!" Mitsune announced suddenly, looking at a bare wrist in surprise. "Well, I have to go - see you around!" With that, she spun and dashed away, fleeing the scene.

"My, my," Tsuruko murmured, shaking her head. "Such poor behavior, Motoko. I expected better of you!" The woman began to smile again, though it was much harsher than her normal, friendly smile. "Ranma, what punishment do you think we should make her endure?"

The man sighed, running a hand through his hair. "She's just a little kid, Tsuruko-chan. Let her off with a warning. I don't think she'll do it again," he mumbled.

"I am _not_ a 'little kid', Oe!" she protested.

"My, my, my," Tsuruko murmured again, still shaking her head. "That was not the proper way for you to address Ranma, Motoko-han." She turned to face Ranma, her smile softening. "Please, Ranma, she must be punished for her poor behavior. What should her punishment be?"

The man blinked at Tsuruko in confusion for a moment before shrugging, and saying, "Uh... There's some shops in the town that are still open, and since Happosai's been through here, I bet a few of the girls here still need to get new ... panties, and stuff. Mitsune dragged me along, but why not just have Motoko take everyone else shopping?"

"I approve!" Tsuruko announced cheerfully, producing a coin pouch from a sleeve of her outfit, and peeking into it for a moment. "Now, Motoko-han, as punishment for your poor behavior, you must take everyone who requires new underclothes out shopping."

"O...okay," Motoko said, glad to be getting off as lightly as she was. "I will go fetch them now."

"Good!" Tsuruko announced, taking a step closer. "I will accompany you, then. Let us be off. I imagine that Ranma would like some time to himself." Ranma nodded absently, stepping into the hallway and swinging from the open window upwards, disappearing onto the roof.

XXX

Alone, once Haruka had come to retrieve Sarah, Keitaro lay on the floor to his room, staring upwards at the ceiling blankly. More specifically, at the hole in the ceiling, covered by a wooden board, and thanks to the intervention of the repair crews that had been over the inn earlier, marked off with tape. And thinking of that hole, he could only think of the person who lived on the other side of it.

"Naru," he whispered, frowning. What was to happen to them? To their relationship?

They were a long way away from dating, but at the same time, there had to be _something_ there. Naru obviously saw it too, considering her reaction to his test score. Though, he chastised himself, he hadn't actually gotten a chance to tell her what his score was yet.

Shaking his head, he rose and paced across the floor before his desk for a moment. He would have loved dearly to speak with Naru, but she needed time alone, and this time, more easily than any other, he could respect that. After all, she was preparing to take things to a new level in whatever relationship they had, and that meant ... all kinds of things, really. Some of which Keitaro didn't want to think of, either. He certainly couldn't blame her for wanting to wait.

Nodding to himself, he headed to a scroll on his wall, rolling it up, and stepping into the passageway behind it. Most of the inner secrets of the inn confused Keitaro, but he had learned one combination of passageways fairly well - enough to find an easy way onto the roof from his room.

The void around him was not the dark, frightening mystery of blackness that he remembered from climbing into the crawlspace beneath his parents' house as a child, but a comforting embrace. It made him think of Naru, too. He smirked, reaching the top of the passageway and opening up the hatch to the roof. Climbing out, he allowed the trap to shut behind him, stretching in the cool evening air.

The soft whisper of wind near him was the only warning he had, and he froze as Ranma flashed past him, a blur of concentrated motion and force, passing within centimeters of Keitaro's form. A kick rocketed out swiftly enough to crack the air, almost striking Keitaro's knee, and a thrown punch stopped a dozen centimeters from Keitaro's throat, the air pressure from the blow nearly bowling him over.

"Um, I can go back downstairs if you're upset," he offered nervously.

Ranma stood down from his offensive stance, blinking in surprise. "Kanrinin? What are you doing here?" he asked, scratching his head.

"Nothing," Keitaro assured him. "Just thought this would be a nice place to relax for a bit and think."

"Oh, no, sorry about that. I get kind of lost when I focus on the Art," Ranma said, shaking his head and climbing to the top of the roof. Heaving a heavy sigh, he sat on the peak, looking down at the city below, twinkling lights sparkling in the night. "It's a pretty view," he allowed after a moment.

"I like it," Keitaro agreed, finding a spot to sit a short distance away, admiring the same lights. "Um. You seem to really focus on your martial arts."

"Not as much as I used to," Ranma said quietly. "I'm trying to work harder - I think I've lost my edge. The old guy from this morning ... he nearly got me."

"Is something wrong?" Keitaro asked, alarmed. If Ranma was going to be having grudge matches, he expected they could get fairly destructive. "You'll be careful, right? You won't get in a fight and let any of the girls here get hurt, will you?"

"_Never_," Ranma growled fiercely, shooting Keitaro a scathing glare. His gaze softened, and he slumped forward, looking away. "Never ... again. I promise you that on my life, Kanrinin." Slipping down the peak of the roof, Ranma stretched out, lacing his fingers together behind his head and staring up at the stars. After a moment of awkward silence, he mused, "You can see more stars from here than in the city."

"I know what you mean," Keitaro mumbled, wishing he knew what Ranma was hiding, but unwilling to pressure the man for more information. "I, uh, can hardly see the stars at all from my parent's house."

Ranma made an absent noise, not looking at Keitaro.

Not wanting to upset Ranma, but still needing an answer, Keitaro asked, "So, do you think you'll be able to win your fight?"

"Yes," Ranma replied at length. He paused for a moment, then sighed, and added, "No. Well, maybe. I'm not exactly certain." He breathed out an exasperated sigh and closed his eyes. "If this were the old days, I could beat him hands down, but I can't fight like I used to, and I don't think it would work, anyway. The answer isn't training, because I don't have enough time. I just don't know what to do, and Tsuruko-sensei says that this is a test for me."

"Well, whenever I get stuck on a test, I just ask myself how Narusegawa would answer the question." Keitaro chuckled nervously. "I ... wish I could help you, Oe-san, but I don't know martial arts that well. Um ... Motoko-han always speaks highly of her older sister, so what would your older brother say if he were in your place?"

"Say?" Ranma asked quietly, opening his eyes, and furrowing his brows. "That's a good question. I guess... Well, Aniki would say something like, 'This is a challenge, Otouto. Together, we can do anything!' And then the two of us would try and study like crazy to find an answer ... but I don't think studying will help this time."

"Well ... what would he do, then, if he were in your place?" Keitaro asked, frowning.

"He'd ... he..." Ranma's eyebrows rose, and he sat up, staring at the city below in surprise. "He would win! Of course! That's it!"

Keitaro blinked in surprise. "Er ... what? Oe-san, you mean ... you're just going to win? What about, um, the fight? How do you just 'win'?"

"It's in the blood," Ranma said, grinning. "I have to get ready. Thanks a bunch, Kanrinin!" Vaulting to his feet suddenly, the man vanished over the edge of the roof, and into the night.

"If everything were that easy, I'd just 'get into Toudai,'" Keitaro grumped. He blinked again, remembering his test score. "But then..." Keitaro's eyes widened in sudden alarm. "'In the blood'? Wait! Oe-san said he was adopted!"

XXX

Trudging along morosely ahead of her sister, Motoko held the various shopping bags in front of her, wishing they would somehow conceal her from the ever-watchful eyes of the pedestrians surrounding them. Shinobu observed hesitantly, but Motoko was certain the girl was trying to mask an amused smile. For her part, Suu seemed to take the entire thing in stride, somehow knowing better than to toy with Tsuruko as she would with Ranma, or Motoko. Naru's amusement was evident, though she tried to keep a straight face when Motoko glanced at her.

Motoko tried to remain proud, made all the more difficult by the fact that her chosen clothes had been taken away in favor of what her older sister had picked out for her. "Aneue, is this necessary?" she asked, her voice hitching slightly in the middle of her question.

"Well, Motoko-han, if you behave like a child, you should dress as one, as well," Tsuruko said serenely, one hand covering the smile that formed as she spoke.

Sniffling bravely, Motoko clutched the bags of clothing to herself more tightly. The shoes were childish, with little stars and hearts all over them, sparkly and multi-colored. The stockings came up to her calves, hot pink and with a ruffle that ringed each of them neatly. Her shirt was powder blue, emblazoned with a bright and cheerful 'Hello Kitty' logo, though the pacifier on a chain, which hung from her neck, obscured that. Beneath that, a matching blue skirt extended to just above her knees, granting her the appearance of nothing more than an exceptionally tall child. Shinobu looked more mature than she felt at the moment. Tsuruko had even taken her sword away, and as a result, she tried to hide herself behind the packages she was bearing.

She continued to walk forward in silence, thankful that they were nearly home. Peeking around the bags in her hands, she was relieved to see the foot of the long staircase leading up to the Hinata-Sou, and the much thinner crowds so close to the hilltop. Soon, she would be able to be home, and put her own clothes back on, and promise her older sister that whatever it was she had done, she would never do again.

Her ruminations were interrupted at the base of the stone steps, as Ranma landed from the nighttime darkness, seeming to practically appear from nowhere before all the girls, a spreading ring of dust radiating from beneath his bicycle-tires' point of impact. He nodded to Shinobu and Tsuruko, then frowned slightly at seeing Motoko. "Eh ... I don't want to know," he said before she could explain herself. "I'll be back in the morning. Thanks for your advice, Tsuruko-sensei." The man stepped off his bike long enough to bow to the woman deeply.

"My, my," Tsuruko mused, smiling, despite an unmistakable glint of sadness in her eyes. "Such formality. Very well, Ranma. If you will be preparing for the battle, I give you my best wishes. Motoko-han and I will await your duel."

"Will you win, Oe-san?" Shinobu asked anxiously. "I ... don't want that man to come back again."

"The Happosai is very dangerous," Suu agreed.

"That's the plan, Shinobu-chan," he said, smiling. "Don't worry, Suu. I think I have this one figured out. I'll see all of you later."

Not giving them enough time to reply, he hopped onto his bike and shot down the street, swiftly overtaking what little traffic was there and vanishing from sight.

"Hmm," Tsuruko mused quietly. "This will be interesting."

"Why didn't he laugh at me?" Motoko asked cautiously. "I ... thought he would find this punishment amusing."

"Perhaps he's not as wicked as you make him out to be," Tsuruko said, slightly more sternly. "I am not doing this to you to be petty, Motoko-han. Allow yourself to realize that."

"I don't understand," Motoko mumbled, face flushing with shame, and bowing her head.

XXX

Night fell across the city, dimming the lights below, but never truly vanishing. Keitaro remained atop the roof, watching the lights sparkle, and thinking about things. Obviously, he needed to talk to Naru at some point; Ranma felt a solution had been found for his quandary, so Keitaro should find one for himself, as well. But ... there was no reason to rush Naru, really.

Thinking about it, it was easy to appreciate her hesitance, considering the enormity of what they were about to do. He had to suppress a grin at that, before he realized he was alone on the roof, and no one would question him. Smiling widely, he scooted a short way down the roof, then laced his fingers behind his head, as he'd seen Ranma do.

Gazing up at the night sky, and too distracted by his thoughts to feel the mild chill in the air, he shortly dozed off.

XXX

The sun rose the following morning, as it always did, spreading its gentle, glowing warmth across the inn's roof, not quite rousing the man who was sleeping there. But the bright amber beams of light woke another, a girl who sat up in her bed suddenly, clutching her stuffed animals to her closely, and staring blearily at the luminosity.

Frowning, she squinted, peering at the alarm clock next to her bed, and sighed. Turning it off before it could ring, she yawned and climbed out of the bed, tucking the large stuffed rabbit back in without thinking about it. After grabbing a towel and a change of clothes, she padded out of her room on quiet feet and set about the laborious process of warming up the bath.

It was only lukewarm when decided she didn't have enough time to wait for it to heat up and quickly washed herself, then dressing and heading across the hallway in the front of the inn towards the stairs. She paused in the main walkway, the large common area above the inn's entrance and turned to look at the street below.

Slow morning traffic trickled past, though the cherry trees that lined the walkway leading to the courtyard below framed her view. She smiled at that, remembering the things that had first made her like the inn, then blinked as a rounded, red-haired blur shot up the stone walkway.

Ranma leapt her bicycle up the entire distance, dismounting and landing in the center of the courtyard, her bike held in her hands when she did so. She trotted around the side of the inn and reappeared a moment later in the hallway, carrying the thing nonchalantly. "Morning," she said cheerily, passing Shinobu and depositing her favored conveyance in her room before emerging again.

Shinobu could only blink in surprise, until Ranma returned, standing next to her and stretching her arms over her head. The girl's eyes stuck to Ranma's shirt when she stretched, as interesting things happened, straining the material. "Ah, what a nice day," the redhead mused, relaxing and turning to beam a smile at the girl.

"Auuugh..." she agreed quietly, turning to stare at the street in dismay. Ranma was so beautiful, and had such a nice body ... why couldn't she be as pretty as Ranma, who was actually a man? It wasn't fair!

"Something wrong?" Ranma asked, frowning slightly and leaning forward to examine the girl.

She shook her head quickly, trying not to peek down Ranma's shirt too much. But there was no padding there, and Shinobu shuddered, worrying that she was becoming as perverted as everyone else. "I'm okay," she said weakly. "Just ... um ... oh, it's nothing, Oe-san."

Ranma shrugged, standing up straight and yawning softly. "I bet I know what you're thinking. But it's a curse - I get to look good as a girl. Which I'm not. It also makes most girls jealous of me. Not fun." She reached out and ruffled Shinobu's hair unexpectedly. "Don't sweat it, Shinobu-chan, you'll grow up to be a better woman than I could ever be."

Shinobu giggled in embarrassment, bowing her head. Ranma had seen right to the heart of the matter, but... "Do you really think I'll be as beautiful as you?" she asked nervously.

Ranma's left eyebrow ticked slightly. "Er ... yeah," she said, nodding.

"So boys will actually pay attention to me?" Shinobu eked out, her face reddening further.

"Um ... of course."

"Will I grow up to be as ... big as you?"

"You're already almost as tall as me," Ranma mumbled, looking away. She blinked, eyes widening, then slapped the heel of her palm to her forehead. "Oh, um, that. Uh, maybe, I guess? I dunno, do you drink lots of milk?"

"I will now!" Shinobu said with determination. "But I have to start breakfast, first!" Not sparing another moment for thought, she dashed away towards the kitchen.

XXX

Trooping up the stone steps in their loose formation, the contractors glanced around the front of the inn, hammers, saws, and various other tools slung over their shoulders. Suzuki Taiso was at the lead, and craned his neck to peer around the deserted courtyard. "Hello?" he asked after a moment, frowning. "Anyone home?"

Ranma trotted out of the front of the inn, waving apologetically. "Sorry!" she called out, skidding to a halt a few meters away from the men, Suu prancing after her. "Um ... Keitaro isn't in his room right now, but I'm sure he'll drop by in a moment."

Taiso nodded, opening his mouth to say something, but cut off to look upwards as a terrified shriek rang out. Ranma spun around and looked skyward, squinting, while Suu held up a hand to shield her eyes and joined her. Rolling off the edge of the roof in a writhing panic, Keitaro bounced off of the awning on each floor before slamming directly into Ranma, the pair then lying in a dazed heap.

Rousing himself groggily from the fall, Keitaro pushed himself upwards, only realizing after the fact that one hand came to rest directly on Ranma's chest. The redhead grimaced, one eyebrow ticking, before Keitaro whimpered, "Why did it have to happen outside?"

An angry battle cry rent the near-silence, and Keitaro suddenly vaulted upwards, aided by a blow from Naru, and swiftly disappearing over the peak of the roof.

"Um," Ranma managed, blinking at the girl.

Naru glowered after the spot that Keitaro had vanished into for a moment before flinching suddenly, and becoming very apologetic. "I'm sorry, Oe-san! I shouldn't have done that, I mean, you could deal with him yourself, and it was wrong of me to interfere-" she broke off, swallowing, and stared at her feet uncomfortably. "Sorry," she finally managed, very quietly.

"Oh," Ranma mumbled, scratching the back of her head nervously. "Uh ... you mean about the ... uh ... relationship between me and ... um." She sighed, wondering how far Mitsune had spread that story before shaking her head. "Well, um, we've been through worse, so don't worry about it."

"What a lucky guy," Taiso rumbled, sighing. "Well, we saw 'im boys, let's get to work."

In a single voice, the workers chorused, "Right!" and swiftly scattered across the inn to work.

"Lucky guy," Naru echoed quietly, sniffling. "Um, I'll ... see you later, Oe-san." Not waiting for Ranma's reply, she dashed across the courtyard, vanishing down the stairs.

"What a weird day," Ranma mumbled, scratching the back of her head again.

"What's the relationship between a Keitaro and a Ranma?" Suu asked pointedly, leaning closer to examine Ranma curiously.

"It involves violent girls, I think," Ranma mumbled, as Keitaro staggered around the inn, nodding at her.

"Oh, eh, Naru's a very nice girl," Keitaro said absently, rubbing at a bruise and wincing. "She's really quite gentle."

"Compared to what?" Ranma asked incredulously.

"Good morning!" Sarah enthused, seeming to teleport from nowhere to appear behind Keitaro, dropping the man with a knee to the back of his head.

"On second thought, I think I'm getting off lucky," Ranma concluded, turning away.

XXX

Once breakfast had been dealt with, Shinobu grabbed her things, preparing to run away to school, where people behaved normally, and she could hope that some of the rampant background perversion would fade away.

Shaking her head, she passed Ranma as the redhead entered the inn, knuckling back a yawn. "Are you okay, Oe-san?" she asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Just a bit tired. Stayed up late last night getting ready," Ranma dismissed, glancing at Sarah as the little girl clung to one leg. "I'm going to get rid of this thing, then take a nap. I got that challenge at sunset, and I want to be ready for it."

"Oh!" Shinobu exclaimed, clasping her hands together in surprise. "I had forgotten about that! Do you think you will win now, Oe-san?"

"I have a plan," the redhead said evasively. "Could you ask Sarah-chan to let go of my leg?"

"But it's fun!" the blonde protested. "Keitaro trips when I try it. He must be a real wuss if a girl like you is stronger than him."

Ranma chuckled, shaking her head. "You're going to get really bored if you don't let go, because I'm going to bed." She paused, considering, then frowned. "And Motoko-chan might get the wrong idea. Again."

Pouting, the little girl released Ranma's leg, crossing her arms over her chest. "If I can't play with you, who can I play with?" she asked.

"Sarah-chan, don't you have school today?" Shinobu asked hopefully.

"Nope! Not today!" she cheerfully exclaimed. "I'll go play with Kitsune, instead!" The girl ran off, disappearing around a corner, though her voice still carried. "Good morning, Kitsune!"

"Maybe that wasn't such a good idea," Ranma mumbled. "Eh, well, things will work out."

XXX

Keitaro was growing increasingly frustrated with each passing minute. The repair men were competent, and only really seemed to be marking out areas that would need attention, excepting the men who had already dug up the yard to expose the old inn's plumbing. They measured, and calculated, and eyed, and considered, but did no actual work.

They did, however, ask him questions, nearly constantly, on what he wanted done with the place, and it left him without a free moment to try and speak with Naru. It wasn't until the men stopped for their lunch, congregating in the field to the side of the house, that they finally left him alone.

Trudging tiredly up the stairs towards her room, he deflated to find her gone from the inn. "Where did she go?" he mumbled tiredly, turning in time to watch Motoko and her sister march down the hall, away from him. "Hello?"

The sisters stopped, Motoko hiding behind Tsuruko and not meeting his gaze. Tsuruko beamed a smile at him and waved cheerily. "I hope you do not mind me visiting my sister," she said genially. "I imagine I will be leaving shortly."

"Oh, that's no problem," Keitaro assured her, laughing nervously. "I'm just afraid that with everything as busy as it is, you won't be comfortable."

"I'm sure I will enjoy my stay," she deferred, a smile playing about her lips. "Motoko-han is embarrassed, but I was wondering if you could show us to the hotsprings that she has written to me about so often."

Keitaro raised an eyebrow, as Motoko flinched visibly and began to creep away from her older sister. "They're, uh, closed," he said warily. "For repairs. While we remodel the inn."

Tsuruko regarded Keitaro coolly, then pursed her lips thoughtfully and turned to face Motoko. "Well, no matter," she said offhandedly. "I know of a public bath down the street - we can walk there, Motoko-han. Won't that be fun?"

"Um, maybe I'll stay here," the younger of the kendoka blurted out, finally edging enough to one side that Keitaro had a clear view of her new outfit. "There's, uh, a perfectly good bath on the second floor of the inn, after all."

"With all the repair men about?" Tsuruko mused.

Motoko froze, blanching. "I had forgotten," she mumbled quietly.

Keitaro shook his head, only catching himself after a moment of thought. "Motoko-chan, don't you have school today?" he queried.

"Some things are more important than school," Tsuruko noted coolly. "Hmm. Motoko-han, I think that since there are no hotsprings readily available, we shall spar for a while. Run along and change your clothes to something more appropriate." The girl smiled with visible relief, and ran so quickly that Keitaro was spun about by the mere force of her passage. He came to his senses with Tamago peering into his face, and Tsuruko laughing quietly into her sleeve. "And some things are too cruel even for me," the woman whispered, still smiling. "Motoko? Are you ready?"

"Yes!" The girl reappeared, running back nearly as quickly as she had departed, obviously glad to be rid of the childish clothing she had worn a moment ago. "May I have my sword back?" she asked her sister cautiously.

"There's a worthy question," Tsuruko murmured. "You shall have to earn it back, Motoko-han."

"Eh?" the girl squeaked out, surprised. "How can I fight without a weapon?"

"Ranma does it all the time, perhaps you should learn the same!" Tsuruko teased, leading the walk towards the stairs.

"But we are a school of swordsmanship! We do not fight with only bare hands!"

"A true warrior uses any weapon that she may, Motoko-han."

"Aneue!"

XXX

Motoko ducked and scrambled out of the way of her sister's seemingly casual sword-swipes - swipes that cleft through boulders when they missed her. "This isn't fair!" she protested. "Ack!"

Tsuruko finally let up, clicking her tongue. Motoko fell heavily to the ground, their arena being the same mid-stream island she had challenged, and bounced on her rear end, wincing. "You've improved," the woman finally admitted. "But all the same, I expected more from you."

Motoko's face fell. "What am I doing wrong? Why are you so angry with me, Aneue?"

"Angry?" Tsuruko asked, bemused. "If I were angry with you, Motoko-han, you would know it. I am merely preparing you for a challenge you have yet to face."

"What sort of challenge?" Motoko asked apprehensively. Something worse than sharing a home with two males? Being forced to wear such clothing? Worse than her sister's seemingly pointless lessons? "I don't understand."

"You will," Tsuruko assured her. "For now, the sun draws close to the horizon. We have something to take care of, I think."

"What? Oh! Ranma's fight."

"Oe-san," Tsuruko corrected her gently. "Come along, Motoko-han, this is very important."

Sighing, the girl followed her sister, hopping idly over the stream and kneeling beneath a tree to watch the arena of combat. Piles of plywood, roofing material, and pipes lay in neat stacks, remnants of the repair crew that was just then meandering away from the site. Across the grassy expanse, Shinobu and Suu sat on either side of Mitsune, who looked around curiously.

Keitaro joined them after a moment, Sarah knocking him sprawling into one of the craters from the morning battle until Haruka restrained the girl. Ranma arrived as the sun touched the horizon, yawning, and totally relaxed. Striding in easy steps from the back of the porch, he stood in the center of the yard and waited.

Not until the last glimmer of the sun passed beyond the horizon did his challenger return, the small form bounding easily over the trees to land a short distance away. "My heir!" Happosai gleefully asserted. "Are you prepared?"

"I think so," Ranma said, shifting his feet, not taking up a ready stance. "Are you?"

"All is not quite in readiness," Tsuroko interjected suddenly, rising to her feet. "You two are prepared for battle, but I think there is more on this fight than either of you contend. Oe-san, what do you fight for?"

Ranma glanced at her, surprised, and frowned. "To be rid of the old man?" he asked, as though unsure. "What else is there?"

"My, there's more than that, isn't there?" Tsuruko insisted.

Ranma turned to regard Happosai closely, his frown deepening. "Why are you fighting with me, old man?"

"You picked the fight," Happosai returned mildly. "I'm just curious to see if you have what it takes. If you're ... worthy."

"Worthy of what?" Ranma grumped, scratching his head in consternation, his gruffness fading.

"My, my, that certainly changes things, doesn't it?" Tsuruko murmured, her voice carrying across the field.

Ranma blinked, tension vanishing from his face, as he grinned softly. "I get it," he whispered. "You think you're ready, old man?"

"Yes," Happosai said softly. "But before we begin, let me say one thing, Ranma."

"What's that?" he asked cautiously.

"May the best man win," Happosai stated, sincerity overwhelming the aged warble of his voice.

"Very well!" Tsuruko announced, clapping her hands together, then raising a white handkerchief. "Kumite!" The cloth slipped from her fingers, drifting slowly towards the ground.

And the fight began.

XXX

Shinobu fought to keep from whimpering at the display - everything seemed so drawn out, like the samurai dramas that Motoko liked to watch when she thought no one was paying attention. But as soon as Tsuruko said that the fight should begin, it did. Ranma seemed less to move, and more to slide across the field, expertly dodging past a strike from the old man's pipe.

His foot shot out, snapping through the air with a thunderous crack, and he spun with the momentum. Happosai nimbly leapt overhead and reached out to tap Ranma atop the head with his pipe. The younger man seemed to smile softly, and simply wasn't there for the blow to connect with, his braid trailing behind him as he moved behind Happosai, and-

The battle ended.

Happosai coughed, pinned to the ground beneath Ranma's foot, only this time the man had moved so fast that no eye could follow the movement entirely. "Ranma is the victor," Tsuruko declared, snatching her handkerchief from the air a hairsbreadth away from the grass. "Very impressive, Oe-san. What was that move?"

"A part of the true Oe Ronin-Ryu," he said quietly. "I ... think."

"You... win," Happosai wheezed. "Now get off me!"

Ranma withdrew his foot, his calm evaporating. "Okay, I beat you, old man, now are you going to get out of my life?" he snapped.

Happosai drew himself to his full height and nodded solemnly. "Yes," he sighed. "As I agreed ... but ... I'm proud of you, Ranma. I didn't think he could do it."

"Who?" he asked warily.

"I never thought that your brother was right when he said he could refine my own art."

Ranma's eyes grew wide, and he staggered back a step. "Eh?" he choked out.

Happosai smiled thinly. "I wanted a worthy successor to my school ... and it's not your father, or Tendo. It would have been you, but ... you've found something greater than I can touch. You've made me proud. As a student of mine, I recognize your mastery. Congratulations, Ranma!"

"Yes," Tsuruko added emphatically, drawing closer to Ranma. "I, too, am pleased with your progress, but know that you have a long way to go before your path is complete."

"What are you talking about?" Ranma asked in confusion.

"Well, as a master, you have the right to teach, Ranma," Happosai said, grinning widely. "And I don't have to anymore! Nya-hahaha!" With that, the old man bounced away, vanishing into the trees.

"I feel somehow ... cheated," Ranma mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

Tsuruko took Ranma's free hand in her own. "I approve."

"Of what?" Ranma asked, cocking his head to one side warily.

"Of you training Motoko-han, Oe-san. You would be the best tutor she could have, this far from our own dojo."

"_You_ feel cheated?" Motoko whimpered. "Aneue! I can not be trained by such a creature!"

"You should speak better of Oe-san," Tsuruko said in a warning tone, pressing Motoko's sword into Ranma's hands. "Until he says so, you will not get your blade back."

"This-" Motoko cut herself off, drawing a deep breath to calm herself. "Oe-san, please give me my sword. It should not be sullied by the touch of a man."

"Oe-sensei," Tsuruko corrected. "And Oe-san, please do your best to train her. I have faith in you."

Ranma stared at the sword in his hands for a long moment, then raised his eyes to look at Motoko. "Train her?" he said quietly. "Why are you asking me to do this, Tsuruko-sensei?"

"I can think of no greater person for the task, Oe-san," Tsuruko said, bowing deeply to Ranma.

Ranma returned the bow nervously, then flipped the blade over in his hands and tucked it through his belt. "Then ... if it would please you, Tsuruko-sensei, I will do my best." He turned to face the younger kendoka, who was still obviously flustered over the loss of her sword. "Motoko, do you want to learn with me?"

"No!" the girl wailed. "I want my sword back, and to train with Aneue!"

"We don't always get what we wish for," Tsuruko chided. "Now, behave yourself, Motoko." Tsuruko's bird flapped down from the eaves of the house, lighting on her shoulder and cooing softly. "Oh, dear ... it seems I must be going - there is a matter I must attend to. I cannot train you myself, Motoko. You are not ready, and when you will be ready, I cannot be here. If ever you trusted me, or Mother, you will accept training from Ranma."

Not waiting for a response, the woman bowed to Ranma, then to Keitaro, and then strode away, pausing only to blow a kiss towards Ranma before she vanished around the corner of the house. "Mother," Motoko whispered.

Ranma looked distinctly uncomfortable and turned away. "When you're ready, Motoko," he said after a moment. "I respect your sister, but I won't make you start learning until you're ready."

"When will you return my blade?" the girl pressed.

"I don't think your sister thinks you're ready yet," Ranma said slowly. "Either... when you decide that you are ready to learn from me, or when you decide that you don't want to do as your sister requests. Until then, I'll hang onto it."

Motoko grit her teeth, balling her hands into fists at her sides, then stalked away, turning her back on the man.

Shinobu held her tongue until Motoko vanished into the house, then coughed nervously. "Oe-san? What happened?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Ranma admitted after a moment, sighing. "But if I have to train Motoko, I may need to be here a lot longer than three months."

"Um," Keitaro mumbled. "I don't know, Oe-san... I'm not sure the other tenants will agree."

"I'll agree," Kitsune said quickly, smiling. "What about you two?"

"I ... think that Oe-san is a good person," Shinobu said haltingly. "He is ... very responsible. I think we can trust him."

"This Ranma is mine," Suu said possessively, leaping at Ranma and clambering onto his shoulders. "I wanna keep him!"

The man chuckled, shaking his head and turning to face Keitaro. "Well, Kanrinin?"

"If Motoko and Haruka agree, it should be fine," the man encouraged. "And ... Motoko-chan may be angry now, but I think she'll come around."

"Oh, well, if you count my vote, I say let him stay," Haruka mumbled around a cigarette, one hand resting on Sara's shoulder. "Things are more interesting now that he's here, hmm?"

"Right!" the girls responded in one voice.

"What about Narusegawa?" Ranma asked quietly, one hand running across the hilt of Motoko's sword. "Shouldn't she have a say in the matter?"

"It's fine," her voice answered suddenly. All the residents turned to look at her, surprised. "I don't think ... that Keitaro would be happy if I refused," she mumbled, looking away.

"That's really thoughtful of you," Keitaro chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Thanks, Naru!"

The girl offered a wan smile before turning and vanishing into the inn.

"Hmm," Keitaro mused, his smile fading. "I wonder what's gotten into her lately. Is she avoiding me?"

Ranma shrugged absently, frowning. "Well," he said decisively, "tomorrow is the first day of my new job, so I want to get ready. Night, Kanrinin." With that, he trudged into the inn.  


* * *

Author's Notes:

Thanks to Corwin for pre-suffering this for me. This was hammered out in free time at work. Very difficult. "Oh, no, sir! Is very bad you fall into spring of drown salaryman!" 


	6. Change Comes from Without?

The silence of the house at night was disturbed only faintly by the rustlings of tenants moving in their sleep - a faint creaking from a toss here, the scuffing and mumbling of those nearly asleep as they wandered to the restroom.

Were it not for how upset she was, she wouldn't be awake to notice the sounds, or anything else. She would simply sleep and dismiss it. But sleep of late was markedly ... different, with Suu missing.

Rolling to one side and blinking into the darkness of her room, she sighed. Everything she had tried to run away from ... followed her, and worse.

Of course, there was at least one solution...  


* * *

Diamonds in the Rough - Chapter Five - Change Comes from Without?

Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine. That's all.

Notes: Divergences should become apparent as relevant.  


* * *

Ranma knuckled back a yawn as she stumbled through the main room of the inn, on her way to the baths. How long was she going to have to sleep as a girl, anyway? Suu seemed to pop into her bed - or at least her bedroom - whenever she was ready to turn in. She paused on the carpet in the center of the front room, and glanced outside the window, towards the deck where Shinobu habitually hung the laundry up to dry, dimly illuminated in the pre-dawn light.

Her eyes widened slightly and she sighed, watching Motoko practice her forms - without a sword. She considered that briefly before shaking her head. After a quick wash in the sad replacement for a hot springs that the inn maintained at the moment, he vaulted to the roof, and jogged across the peak to observe the girl from there. She froze in her practice and turned to look at him for a moment before beginning anew, ignoring him.

And that was something else entirely. What was Tsuruko's reasoning for asking him to teach her, anyway? The styles seemed so different ... and his was poorly defined as it was. How would he teach an art he only halfway understood himself? Perhaps that was the reason - to make him learn faster. The woman had a knack for assigning rather daunting tasks, he remembered from his work at the dojo.

Regardless, it wasn't feasible that he teach a student who wasn't willing.

On the other hand, he didn't want to disappoint Tsuruko, either. Sighing, he hopped from the rooftop, landing a few steps away from Motoko. "Morning," he said neutrally.

She broke off her practice and turned to study him for a moment, warily. "Indeed it is," she replied after a moment, crossing her arms across her chest.

He shuffled his feet nervously. "Mind if I practice with you for a bit? We're supposed to spar with Seta sometime tonight."

Something flashed in her eyes, and she pursed her lips for a long moment before finally replying, "As you wish." She retreated to one side of the deck, watching him closely.

He frowned, shaking his head. Well, peace offerings didn't seem to be working, though she had calmed down a bit. Probably for the best, all things considered. Relaxing his shoulders, he flexed his hands, then rolled his neck, finally stepping into the stance he remembered from the battle against Happosai.

The stance was loose, relaxed, but not as mobile as his stances usually were. The problem, he thought, tentatively shifting through some forms, was that it had felt less like a maneuver, and more like he had just shifted his stance from standing, to ... pinning the old man.

But how was it done? He broke off his practice with a muffled curse. He could repeat any set of movements, but no matter how smooth they were, they just felt ... mechanical compared to what he had done when he had beaten Happosai.

"Something wrong?" Motoko asked, breaking the morning silence, the anger fading from her expression, giving way to curiosity.

"I can't get it," Ranma mumbled. He sighed, scrubbing a hand through his hair. "It's like it's just out of my reach." Shaking his head, he offered the girl a shrug and a wry grin. "Looks like I'm just wasting space here. I'll let you get back to your own practice. Gotta work on the place today." He stretched, yawned slightly, then trod towards his room.

XXX

Motoko frowned, watching him stride away confidently. He moved with casual grace, his training evident in his walk - the balance, and the way he held himself... Everything she had seen him do while practicing looked flawless to her, if a bit unorthodox. He didn't move through any form she recognized, but the motion was perfectly fluid in her eyes.

She considered that for a moment. Was he showing off? That was a possibility ... but she couldn't understand him, truly. She knew that she didn't like him, and she knew that her sister had made matters worse, going so far as to invoke their mother's name. That meant ... that her sister was probably trying to goad her into something. Like returning home.

Well, she wasn't about to give in. She shook her head, retrieving the pack from where she had left it, beneath an overturned laundry basket.

The ordeal would require some thought, however, and that meant going somewhere away from the inn for a day or two to consider her approach to the situation. But she wasn't about to give up just yet...

XXX

Suzuki Taiso trooped up towards the inn, his uniformly burly assistants trooping behind him up to the courtyard atop the stairs. They all ground to halt in the middle, spying Ranma standing before the door to the inn itself. Taking a step forward, Taiso studied Ranma closely. "On time," he said, nodding his approval. "Got your hard hat?"

"Rules are rules," Ranma sighed, hefting a slightly battered hard hat and nodding back to the burly man. He put the hat into place, mirrored by the entire construction crew, then strode forward to meet Taiso. Bowing to the larger man, he announced, "I am Oe Ranma, and I'm glad for the opportunity to work with you."

The crew returned the bow as one, while Taiso nodded, grinning widely. "Welcome aboard, kid. I think you'll do just fine. For your first day, I want you to stick with me while I show you what our boys do. The rest of you, you all know where to go."

"Right!" the men exclaimed in unison, rising from their bows and all breaking up into small teams headed to various points around the inn.

Ranma straightened while the other men went their separate ways. "Where to first?" he asked.

Taiso handed Ranma a clipboard and pen. "You're going to help me take notes," he said. "And the better notes your take for me, the more I know you understand about what we're doing. I'll check up on you during lunch, and we'll see. 'Til then, let's check out some of the damage - we got a team clearing out the rubble from the boiler explosion, so we're gonna go there first. C'mon."

XXX

The workers had begun shuffling their equipment around - a ladder was leaning against the side of the inn, roofing shingles lay in a tarp-covered pile near the ladder, a team had already uncovered most of the water pipes leading to the inn. It appeared that the prior day had been planning, and so Keitaro lay some of his worries to rest.

Of course, one of those workers was Ranma, though he had subtly made it apparent that his employers didn't know that he was also a tenant. He wasn't certain why the martial artist had done so, but Keitaro respected that he had.

In the meantime, occasional workers - though they all looked identical to Keitaro, excepting Taiso and Ranma - would run up to him and ask him a question about the inn. He answered to the best of his ability, sometimes catching a fleeting glimpse of Naru, though the girl appeared to be evading him. Whenever he moved to chase after her, another worker with yet another question would appear as though summoned before him.

He gave up on trying to catch her attention and talk to her, focusing instead on studying in his room - breaking from that on occasion to answer the questions that still found their way to him. Things continued in this manner until lunch, which was punctuated by a shrill, piercing whistle.

Wandering out of the inn revealed the workers gathered in the side-yard - the one where Ranma had fought Happosai the prior evening - opening up lunch boxes and chatting amiably. The craters that had been blasted in the yard were already filled in with dirt from the uncovered plumbing. Except for the fact that nearly all of the grass would likely be killed, it was an improvement. Probably.

Keitaro shook his head and retreated into the kitchen, warming some leftovers for himself. Mitsune sat at the table, occasionally glancing out the window towards the workers. "Heya, Kanrinin," she greeted, stirring a bowl of soup idly.

"Hello, Kitsune," he responded, looking to see what had gotten her attention for only a moment before turning his attention to his leftover rice and fish. "Staying home today?"

"I'm not working tonight," she answered absently. She sighed then, shaking her head. "Looks like Ranma forgot to pack himself a lunch."

"Hmm?" Keitaro mused, swallowing. "Well, maybe I should make him something." He frowned, considering that. "No, no... The workers in the yard would catch on," he sighed. "Well, I hope he can hold on until dinner, then."

He glanced to the hallway, surprised to see Naru there, a particularly haggard expression marring her features. Realizing Keitaro was looking at her, she managed a quick smile, quickly bustling to the refrigerator and making a bento for herself. "I'm headed out to pick up some more study guides," she offered, before he could ask. "Do you or Oe-san need anything?"

"Ah ... I'm fine," Keitaro replied, bowing his head and flushing slightly. How considerate of her... He hadn't thought that escalating their relationship to the next level meant she would be so kind to him. "But, thank you very much for the offer."

"No problem," Naru replied quickly, wiping at her eyes and sniffling. "Stupid onions..." Shaking her head, she packed her bento up and handed Keitaro another. "Here, you can give this to ... to Oe-san later. I'll see you later, Kanrinin."

Before he could say anything else, she had vanished down the hallway, and Keitaro's attempt to follow was aborted when he nearly dropped the packaged lunch. A frenzied lunge saved it from spilling, and sent him sprawling on the floor.

"Smooth," Mitsune advised, plucking the box from his fingers. "I'll deliver this package for you, Kanrinin."

"Thanks," Keitaro managed, climbing to his feet as Mitsune sashayed towards the doorway, and then outside.

Curious, he hesitated before chasing after Naru, and peeked out the window. Mitsune worked her way through the small groups of workers, offering an occasional giggle or wink, drawing nearer to Ranma. She drew to a halt before him and knelt on the lawn, offering the bento to him and smirking widely.

He accepted it hesitantly, offering the woman a nervous smile, then swallowing worriedly as he examined the actual meal itself. Of course, Keitaro realized, shaking his head. Naru's cooking looked dangerous. Ranma, however, nervously took a bite, then blinked, grinning, and set into the bento with vigor, reducing the lunch to a pleasant memory very quickly, then thanking Mitsune profusely. Keitaro could hear the laughter and wolf-whistles from the other workers through the window, though not a whit of their conversation carried.

She said something to him - bending close and whispering it in his ear - which Keitaro couldn't make out, but it made Ranma pale slightly.

Whatever he said in reply, it seemed to please her, and she took the bento and chopsticks back, heading towards the inn again. Sinking back to his seat, Keitaro set about finishing his lunch, which had cooled. Mitsune entered after a half-heartbeat and dropped the box into the sink before lowering herself to her chair with a somewhat dreamy expression.

"Um, did Oe-san enjoy it?" he asked cautiously.

She nodded. "I think I'll tell him who really made it," she said absently. "After he takes me out to dinner tonight, of course."

Keitaro rolled his eyes and set about washing the dishes up. The workers began to rise outside the window and migrate back to their positions about the inn, Ranma vanishing into their midst along with Taiso. He paused his dishwashing, then turned to regard Mitsune curiously. "Say ... do you think I should ask Narusegawa out, as well?"

Mitsune clapped her hands together, coming out of her daze. "Yes! A double date! A brilliant plan, Kanrinin - I'll even ask Naru for you."

Keitaro grinned, hope for the evening filling him.

XXX

The end of the day found Ranma more bored than tired, as he had done no real work - just the note-taking that Taiso had ordered him to do. After calling the men to a halt, he checked Ranma's notes, nodding, frowning, and then nodding some more.

"Not bad," the man allowed. "This is actually pretty good - though you did make a few mistakes on the time calculations."

"It'll take less than three and a half weeks for the roofing?" Ranma asked. "I wasn't sure about that one."

Taiso snorted, shaking his head. "Nah, nah, simple stuff, but you made the same mistake everywhere. Anyway, to make it simple for you, the numbers actually work out like this." He sketched a few formulas out for Ranma. "You gotta round out a bit, but in this business you need to pad your schedule some."

"Okay," Ranma replied slowly, going over the formulas and frowning. "Um ... what about the other stuff?"

"Construction materials were spot-on," Taiso rumbled, pounding Ranma on the back enthusiastically and grinning. "You got most of the boys' names right, and you did a good projection on the plumbing project's time-frame, too. All in all, I think you have what it takes to be one of us. Good work, kid." He clapped his hands together, while the workers assembled in the neat ranks they had that morning. "Alright, everyone, let's go home! See you all in the morning."

With that, the workers, Taiso at the fore, trooped down the stairs, leaving Ranma standing in the courtyard with the clipboard.

"Damn," he mumbled under his breath. "I thought I finally got the math stuff, too ... how the heck am I going to find time to study with a job like this?"

Sighing, he balanced the clipboard on his head, drawing his notebook from his belt and recording all he had learned in it before stretching. He dislodged the clipboard as he did so, catching it when it fell behind him with one foot, then retrieving it with one hand. At the same time, Naru finished climbing the steps, sparing a single backwards glance towards the street where the workers had disappeared.

She cocked her head to one side at Ranma's display of agility and approached him cautiously. "Hello," she greeted, as she drew close.

Ranma blinked, turning to face the girl, and offered her a warm smile. "Hi! How was the city?" he asked.

"Loud, like always," she replied, sighing and shaking her head. She seemed to struggle with something for a moment, then opened her eyes again and smiled at Ranma, though there was a hint of pain in her gaze. "You were working on the inn today?"

"Yes," he drawled, wondering about the girl. She was the one who had spoken to him the least his entire stay there, and the one he had the most trouble understanding... Still, an opportunity to get to know her better would not be amiss, given that Keitaro mentioned he studied with her. "Today I just spent a while learning how long it would take to fix up the damage."

"How long?" she asked curiously, clasping her hands behind her back, her bag swinging behind her knees as she did so.

"Uh ... well..." Ranma temporized. "I had a bit of trouble calculating it all out, because the number of men in each crew shift, depending on what needs more attention, and then, there's other factors, too, but... Mostly it works out to three or four weeks." He smiled apologetically. "Not so great ... hopefully, once they teach me more, I'll be able to help speed things up."

Naru shook her head, looking up at the inn, seeing the damage that had accumulated over the years. "It's reasonable," she said after a moment. "This place... needs it." Sighing, she turned her attention back to Ranma. "I never properly introduced myself," she admitted, smiling again. "My name is Narusegawa Naru."

Ranma bowed to her, smiling. "It's nice to meet you. I hope that we can study with you - er... I mean, Keitaro, you, and I can study together." He mentally cursed himself for tripping over his tongue.

Naru looked distant, watching the house again, but nodded. "I think that would be good," she said after a moment.

XXX

Mitsune emerged from the front door and regarded the pair strangely. "You two getting along?" she asked.

"Uh ... oh yeah," Ranma mumbled, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I forgot." Sighing, he walked to the door as Mitsune approached Naru, still standing near the center of the courtyard. He paused at the doorway and turned to face the two, bowing low. "Thank you very much for lunch. It was very good." After rising, he added, "I'll be ready in a bit."

Naru flushed slightly, while Mitsune giggled and waved Ranma into the house. He vanished shortly, and then Mitsune turned her attention to her friend. "Got any plans tonight?" she asked warmly.

"Ah ... I was going to study," Naru answered, bringing the bag in front of her and hefting it.

"Okay, okay," Mitsune replied, shaking her head. "How would you like to go out to dinner?"

"I'm trying to save my money," Naru answered, frowning. "These books weren't exactly cheap."

"What if someone else were buying?" Mitsune asked suggestively.

Naru smiled at that. Mitsune could be thoughtful, sometimes. Taking her out after the revelation of Keitaro and Ranma... "Wait a moment. What's your plan?"

"Well, you, and I, and Oe, and Keitaro-kun will go to the restaurant together," she began.

Naru sighed, loudly, shaking her head. Mitsune fell silent. It wasn't really something she wanted to do, but at the same time, running wouldn't accomplish anything. She wanted to like Ranma and Keitaro; she did not want to resent them. "Okay," she said quietly, offering a smile. "I get it. When will we be ready?"

"Well, as soon as they get here, I suppose," Mitsune mused. "Do you want to change, first? Those are your studying clothes, after all."

Naru nodded, trooping to her room, Mitsune heading to her own. She hesitated, then picked out a simple dress and marched nervously to the hall. Somehow, she never quite expected her first date to end up like this. Mitsune emerged a moment later, wearing a sleek black Chinese dress with a gold embroidered dragon up the length, and a split from the hem ending only at mid-thigh.

Naru compared that to her own light brown patterned outfit, and suddenly felt underdressed. Ranma and Keitaro's voices wafted up from the lower hall, and Naru steeled herself, nodding to Mitsune before marching down the stairs. Ranma stood there, wearing something different from his standard jeans and T-shirts - Chinese clothing. The blue denim pants had been changed out for black silk, and the shirt matched, black silk with gold-colored wooden ties. Keitaro was dressed up in his best suit, and yet, neither seemed to be better dressed than the other.

Naru considered that for a moment, then decided she preferred Keitaro's neat tie and carefully buttoned shirt to Ranma's sleek darkness. She shook her head, smiling at the couple. Mitsune nodded to herself. "I thought you'd pick that shirt," she mused.

"How did you know I had it?" Ranma asked, frowning slightly.

"Er ... I ... saw it when I had to find your blanket in your backpack," she answered quickly. "But, uh, shouldn't we hurry?"

Keitaro, however, ignored Mitsune and blinked at Naru in surprise. "You look very nice," he managed after a moment.

Naru smiled, sighing inwardly. How far did they intend to take the fiction? Still ... she might as well play her role - Keitaro and Ranma would catch no end of difficulty for their choice of lifestyle. She would at least help them enjoy this public date. "Thank you, Urashima-kun," she answered, smiling. "You look quite handsome, too." She managed to catch herself before she tacked on something mean, just to tease him. But the words 'for a change' had nearly leapt to her lips regardless.

"Going somewhere?" Haruka drawled from the entryway.

"It's a double date," Ranma replied, his voice somehow lacking enthusiasm.

Trying to cover for his slip-up - and for no other reason - Naru grabbed Keitaro's arm and smiled brightly. Keitaro froze, grinning awkwardly and unable to speak while she grabbed onto him. Poor fool, she thought to herself. So used to playing the role he overplayed it now that she knew.

Ranma looked uncomfortable - as he should, given the way Naru was touching his lover - and Mitsune quickly grabbed his other arm. "Well," Mitsune purred, "shall we be off?"

XXX

The journey to the restaurant passed in a complete blur for Keitaro, and he was only really aware of it ending after he ordered something from the waiter. The waiter in question strode away, and Naru sat opposite him, not quite able to meet his eyes, but smiling anyway.

Mitsune gave Ranma a series of sultry glances, the pair seeming to be the better-dressed couple at the table. Keitaro wasn't certain what it took to wear an outfit like Ranma's to a fancy restaurant, but whatever it took, Ranma apparently had. He shook his head turning away from Ranma and focusing on Naru.

"I'm ... glad that you agreed to come," he managed nervously. "I wasn't..."

"I understand," Naru soothed him, before he could finish. Mitsune blinked suddenly and broke her attention away from Ranma, who relaxed visibly. "You don't need to explain it to me." Naru took Keitaro's hand in hers, across the table, and offered a reassuring smile.

Keitaro grinned stupidly and blushed, unable to say anything else.

"So..." Mitsune drawled, looking between Naru and Keitaro. "How is your studying going?"

"Mine?" Naru asked, dropping Keitaro's hands. "Oh, ah, fine, really. Urashima?"

"I've been falling behind a bit, with everything that's been going on at the inn," he apologized. "But since the last test is over for a few weeks, I'm actually going to take a bit of a break before getting back to studying."

Ranma nodded absently, as the waiter approached and set a drink before each person at the table, and then set down a basket of rolls. The martial artist took one casually, tossing it into the air and rolling it across the back of his hand before letting it fall onto a small plate in front of him.

"What about your studying, Ranma?" Mitsune asked.

He raised an eyebrow, noting the familiarity she took with his name, and not Keitaro's. "I haven't really got a lot of time," he sighed. "I expect I'll work until the current job is completed, and then devote myself to studying. Otherwise, I can only really try and study on weekends or evenings, and there's not as much time as I would like."

Keitaro nodded thoughtfully. "Oe-san ... I meant to ask you, are you keeping the fact that you're a resident of the inn from the workers?" he asked.

"Well..." Ranma hedged, looking uncomfortable, and pulling his roll apart while Mitsune took another from the basket. "I don't really like explaining the curse if I don't have to - people tend to act funny around me. And I don't need all the guys I work with thinking they can splash me and then ask me out, or something like that." He shook his head, realizing he was shredding his roll, and smashed the bits together into a much smaller roll, which he popped into his mouth. After swallowing, he said, "Anyway, let's just say I want to try and keep that subtle for the time being. Which reminds me... One of the things that'll keep me from studying is that I have to practice. I like to practice in the mornings and the evenings, and I'm also supposed to be training Motoko ... if she agrees."

"Motoko-chan will come around," Keitaro offered. "At least, I think she will."

"Oh, why talk about her when you've got me right here?" Mitsune chastised, winking at Ranma.

XXX

He cleared his throat as his face reddened, and sipped at his drink to cover. He made a face, immediately setting it down. "Bah, white wine," he grumped.

"Indeed it is," Naru observed, holding up her empty glass and tilting it back and forth. "I wonder if I can get some more."

"Narusegawa!" Keitaro yelped, pulling his glass out of her reach and managing - barely - not to splash himself or Ranma with it. "You're not old enough to drink!"

She made a face at him, then shook her head, waving a hand at him dismissively. "I'm not drunk," she grumped. "And I won't drink more, but don't make such a fuss."

"Never cared for it, myself," Ranma said quietly, pushing his glass away.

Mitsune readily traded his glass for her own, which was already empty. "More for me," she declared.

Ranma shrugged, exchanging a glance with Keitaro. "Er... I guess there won't be any studying tonight, then," he sighed.

Naru released a quiet hiccup and regarded Keitaro coolly, as the waiter arrived again, silently placing a dish before each of them, then refilling each of the wineglasses. "Anything else?" the waiter asked politely.

At the mutual head shaking, he bowed slightly and walked away.

"Anyway," Ranma sighed, poking at his meal. "This doesn't look too bad."

Mitsune raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What did you get?"

"Salmon," he answered quietly. "It's okay."

He shot Mitsune a pointed glance, then indicating Naru and Keitaro with a nod of his head. Naru had quickly finished her refilled glass of wine, and was idly pushing the pasta before her around on her plate. Keitaro was completely absorbed in trying to eat his pasta without making a mess, and making a good effort towards it.

Mitsune frowned, then nodded slightly. "Say," she started suddenly. "This place is nice and all, but what really makes it nice is the company... Who's for getting this stuff to go, and finishing it up at home?"

"Fine," Naru muttered sullenly.

Keitaro swallowed nervously and managed to nod, flagging down the waiter again. In short order, he and Ranma had left (wincing in unison) enough money to cover the bill, and escorted their dates from the establishment.

"It's a nice evening," Keitaro said, walking down the street, Naru trailing immediately after him.

Ranma followed shortly behind, Mitsune at his side. "Can barely see the stars through the clouds," he groused, carrying all of the leftovers himself.

"Well, it's the company that makes an evening good or bad," Mitsune repeated.

"Oh, well... Yeah, it's a nice evening, then," he said, nodding. "What do you think, Narusegawa-san?"

"S'okay," she mumbled, head bowed slightly, as she slowed to a halt. Keitaro noticed her flagging and paused, turning to look at her worriedly. She stared at her feet for a moment, then added, "But I never thought it'd be like this."

"What do you mean?" Keitaro asked, frowning slightly.

"I thought our first date would be real," she whispered, shaking her head.

"Real? It... It was real, Narusegawa. Wasn't it?"

She sniffled, raising her head, and regarded Keitaro with tear-filled eyes. "It wasn't real at all!" she whimpered. "It was just a..." She swallowed and blurted out, "It was just a cover so you could enjoy your date with your boyfriend! I'm sorry, but I... I don't like it!" She lowered her face to her hands and sobbed.

Ranma blinked and turned a questioning look at Mitsune.

"Oops," the woman managed, laughing guiltily. "Guess I forgot to clear that up."

"Clear what up?" Naru asked, turning to look at Mitsune, tears tracing their way down her cheeks.

"Okay, I think I'm going to have to be doing a lot of this, since someone spread a false rumor, but as far as the whole Ranma-and-Keitaro-are-gay thing goes, well, we're not," Ranma grumbled. "I'm not gay. I'm one-hundred-percent man. All not gay." As if to punctuate the point, rain began to fall, activating the curse. "Damn it, I'm a guy!"

Mitsune snickered, pressing against the building behind her to stay dry, while Keitaro and Naru had halted beneath an awning.

"What?" Naru asked, shaking her head and blinking. "No... No, you two are a couple, you and Keitaro - I know already. You don't need to hide it from me."

Ranma raised an eyebrow, and pointed at Keitaro. Naru turned to look at him and found the young man as frozen as if he were made of stone, an expression of incredulity carved on his face. He shook his head, seeming to return to life, and protested, "We're not gay!"

Naru frowned, and placed her hands on her hips, frowning. "Don't believe you," she said, shaking her head and turning her back to the boy, regarding Ranma again. "But you don't need to hide it, Oe-san. We know the truth."

The redhead slapped her forehead with the heel of her palm. "I am _not_ gay," she repeated through clenched teeth. "Okay?"

"Is it because of your curse?" Naru asked, frowning, and tapping her lower lip with her fingertip. "Or was it something else?"

"It's not the- Alright." Wheeling, she took Mitsune's wrist in one hand.

The woman had exactly enough time to release a frightened 'Eep!' as her eyes widened, and Ranma swept her into a deep, searching kiss. Naru stared and blinked, while Keitaro fell over backwards onto the sidewalk, clutching his nose. When the redhead moved to break the kiss, the taller woman pushed her away, eyes still wide.

"See?" Ranma asked. "Even when I'm a girl, I like girls better. Completely not gay."

"Still acts like a man, too," Mitsune breathed, blinking. "That was ... different."

Naru blinked and turned to look at Keitaro, who had regained his feet, though one hand was still trying to stem the tide of red from his nose. "So ... you're not gay?" she asked quietly.

"No!" he protested, bristling. "I wanted to go out on a date with you because I like you! Do you want me to prove it, too?"

He took a step towards her, and she reflexively punched him, sending him careening down the street. "He's not gay!" she cheered, suddenly elated. "He's just a pervert!"

Ranma grinned, sighing in relief. "So we've finally got that settled," she enthused.

Mitsune couldn't help but smile, as Keitaro returned to the scene, rubbing his head, and grinning. "That's the Naru I know," he stated happily.

"Ah! Keitaro! Now you pay for your deception!"

"What did I do to you?" he whined, fleeing from the girl.

But both Mitsune and Ranma could see the smiles they wore as they ran away.

"All's well that ends well, I suppose," Ranma mused, relaxing slightly. "Should we go back to the inn?"

"Er ... yes," Mitsune said, after a moment. "Um... Ranma, about that kiss..."

Ranma winced, turning to regard Mitsune. "Yes?"

"I ... deserved that," she said, sighing. "And you're not bad ... but I like guys."

The redhead stared at her for a long moment, then nodded. "I don't expect everyone to always be able to take the curse in stride," she said, shrugging. "I understand."

"You know, Ranma, you don't make a very good boyfriend," Mitsune mused, walking down the street in the direction that Keitaro and Naru had vanished. Ranma slumped slightly, but shrugged and followed after the woman, as the rain was letting up. "But... You make a good friend, I think."

She brightened at hearing Mitsune's words, and nodded. "I can deal with that," she allowed. "You can never have too many friends."

XXX

It wasn't until breakfast the following morning that Ranma noticed that Motoko was missing. He frowned, having the presence of mind to pack himself a lunch before heading out. It was, however, on his mind from the moment he left the lot via the side exit, and joined the stream of identical-looking workers as they trooped up the stairs, until the moment he broke apart from them at the end of the day.

By then, of course, the other tenants had noticed, too.

He cautiously entered the main room to find everyone else - save Haruka - already gathered there, musing over the incident. "So..." he began cautiously. "Does anyone know where Motoko went?"

Keitaro shook his head, and Suu bounced over to Ranma, pouting. "I want to sleep with Motoko-chan, but she's not here anymore," she protested.

Shinobu nodded hesitantly, offering, "Some of the food was missing from the cabinet - I think she took a few days of rice with her."

"Does she have gear for camping?" Ranma asked, cocking his head to one side. She'd left her sword in his room, either way.

"I ... think so," Shinobu hazarded. "But some of her things were missing from her room when I went up to look for her."

"Well, then we know she probably left on purpose, at least." Ranma scratched his head, considering that. "She's probably okay," he reasoned.

Naru, apparently having calmed down from the previous night, frowned pointedly at him and said, "She may have run away because of you, you know."

He sighed, bowing his head. "I figured it would come to this. You want me to chase after her, right?" he asked.

Naru nodded, while the other tenants looked unsure. "Of course," she said slowly, "I'm not sure I trust you alone with her..."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "What, you want me to go after her in my cursed form?"

"Not that it slows him down much," snickered Mitsune.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I have work in the morning, and we may be overreacting. She's probably okay, but she might just be on a training trip, or something. Since I don't work the day after tomorrow anyway, I'll wait until then to see if she comes back before I look for her," Ranma decided. "Sound fair?"

"A training trip?" Suu asked, excitedly. "Like a real martial artist? How long do they last?"

Ranma winced at that, unable to meet her or Shinobu's eyes. "Well, my pops took me on a training trip for eleven years," he drawled slowly. "And ... I went on one with Aniki for about two and a half years..." Swallowing, he quickly added, "But some of them are only a few days, or a week - most are much shorter than that."

Shinobu's eyes grew large and teary. "She might be gone for years?" she whimpered.

Ranma waved his hands quickly, shaking his head. "Uh, you know, she's probably just gonna be gone for a day or two - her stuff is still here, and she never said goodbye, right?"

The girl calmed slightly at that, but not much, and nodded, blinking away the forming tears.

"Still," he mumbled quietly, so that no one but Keitaro could hear. "I wonder if she's okay..."

XXX

Staring up at the stars, more of them visible this far from the city, Motoko sighed. How exactly was she to manage the situation that she had been trapped into?

She did not like - or even trust - Ranma. Not one whit. She growled, as a sudden downpour drenched her, threatening to extinguish her campfire. Sneezing, she moved to the shelter of a nearby tree, still within range of the fire's warmth, and shook her head.

It was, after all, her first night out. Would they even have noticed she was gone, or would they be wrapped up in the novelty of the new person who had invaded their home? Would they devote all their time to him, and not even gather that she was gone?

All she knew was that she wanted her sword back. The blade was not just a weapon, or a tool - it was her honor, her pride... And she could replace it, but not even able to lose it in an honorable fight, that made her ache, and she shook her head. She couldn't accept not having the blade.

Ranma had offered her two options, but when she considered it, she had three choices to get the sword back. She could agree to his training, and he'd give it back. It would satisfy her own sense of honor, but it was also what her sister had tried to force her into, and she wasn't certain she was willing to accept that. Her sister may have thought that she knew best, but Motoko harbored firm doubts that the woman was as wise as she felt she acted.

Secondly, she could decide not to accept the training, and demand her sword back. He had said he would return the blade to her if that were the case. But that would be tantamount to admitting defeat. It would upset her sister, as well. While Motoko didn't always agree with her sister, that would be going too far to spite her, she felt.

The final option, the one Ranma had not mentioned, would be to defeat him. If she could beat him in a fight, then she could reclaim her blade, and had obviously proven that she was not in need of his training.

Of course, that sounded much easier than it would likely be, because Ranma had specialized in non-weapons focused combat. Her own training left her familiar with it, enough so that she could battle without a weapon, but not nearly as well.

The long and short of it was that she would need to gain a lot of skill to be able to beat him, and she wasn't certain how to do that in any kind of timely manner.

She sneezed again, mulling that over, and shook her head. Time enough to consider that in the morning.

XXX

After work had finished for the day, Ranma stood at the large window, staring out at the pouring rain that she'd only barely managed to avoid while on the job. Luckily, it had only threatened to rain the entire day, until after Suzuki and his men had left. He'd rushed down the stairs ahead of the workers and made it around one corner before the downpour began.

The workers had all nodded knowingly, seeing Ranma rush off, and a few minutes later his 'sister' return, asking after him. They apologetically informed her that she had just missed her brother.

And now, of course, they were gone, and she was alone in the house, staring at the rain and wondering if she could find Motoko on her two days off. She heard a noise behind her and sighed.

Not entirely alone, of course. Just that the workers were all gone for the moment. "Well, I guess I'd better go after her," she sighed aloud, turning to face an anxious Shinobu and a somewhat less concerned - but still visibly worried - Keitaro.

"Are you sure it's wise to leave with that storm going on?" the girl asked, clasping her hands together over her chest and drawing into herself slightly.

Ranma winced as the wind picked up momentarily, slashing rain across the window. "Yeah, I know it's not so great, but remember that she's already out there." She stretched slightly, already dressed in a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. She pulled on a jacket and hauled her pack onto her shoulder. "If there's any kind of trail to follow, it's only going to get harder, the longer I wait. With any luck, I'll be back in a day or two."

Keitaro nodded approvingly, trusting that Ranma knew what she was doing, and Shinobu offered a more dubious nod. "I'll try and make sure that you have hot water when you come back," she said after a moment, trying to smile, but not able to muster the confidence for it.

"Thanks, Shinobu-chan, Kanrinin." Ranma nodded at the pair, then strode towards the side exit. "Be back in a bit."

XXX

Back to a large pine tree, Motoko shivered, glad that most of the rain had been kept off of her, even if the torrent had finally overcome her small fire. Her blanket was wrapped around her shoulders, keeping her from getting too cold, and she was still mostly dry ... but that wasn't what concerned her. What concerned her was that she was no closer to finding an answer.

She had to find a way to defeat Ranma, somehow. She sneezed once, grimacing, then huddled lower into her blanket, sighing. Once this damnable storm passed... It seemed events conspired against her, somehow.

Her sister, Ranma, and now, the weather. Why was it all against her? She grimaced, then yawned, before her yawn was interrupted with another sneeze, and she finally succumbed to her exhaustion.

XXX

She woke up to the faint smell of wood smoke, shaking her head to clear it. The downpour had lessened very slightly, but had not halted. Who, she wondered, climbing to her feet and swiftly packing her gear, could start a fire in weather like this?

Once her pack was on her shoulder, she stifled another sneeze and followed her nose to the source of the smoke, pausing only long enough to put on a wide, cone-shaped straw hat to deflect the worst of the rain.

In short order, she found a cave - more a hole in the side of a nearby hill, with wisps of smoke escaping upwards. A cheerful, if faint, flickering warned of a fire, and she hesitated, wondering, before she approached. Once the opening in the side of the hill came completely into view, she was able to see the cave for what it was - a number of giant boulders had formed one jumbled side of the hill, and the space between them had filled with dirt over the years. Filled with dirt, except for the space between some of the slabs of rock near the bottom, nearly as high as she was tall, sloping upwards into the side of the hill, and a good five meters deep. The entrance was at least two meters wide, with the fire burning near the opening so the smoke would be carried away.

The fire wasn't terribly large, but spread welcome warmth across her when she crouched before it, allowing the smoke to pass above her. But there was no one in the cave, just a pile of dampened pieces of wood being dried out by the fire, and behind that, a large, carefully wrapped bundle.

She backed out, away from the protective overhanging rock and warmth of the flame, into the pouring rain. Promptly sneezing again, she looked around, calling out, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

A long moment of silence passed without a response, and she bit her lower lip nervously, shivering faintly.

The fire behind her made a quiet noise, one of the small logs collapsing, sending up a colorful shower of sparks. Sighing, she entered the cave, setting her pack down and putting another log on the fire before it began to die down too much. An hour passed, with her quietly tending the fire, before she removed all the clothing from her pack and spread it on the bare stone near the fire to dry.

Another hour, and she put a small pot near the fire, filled with the readily supplied rainwater, and some rice from her supplies. She eyed the wrapped bundle, but carefully did not touch it.

When her meal was finished, and her sneezing had begun to subside, she sighed, wondering what was taking the rain so long to stop, and threw another log onto the fire. There was enough wood for another day, at least, stacked within easy reach and now mostly dried. With a frown, she finally approached the wrapped bundle closely enough to inspect it.

The cloth surrounding the bundle was a solid, uniform blue, without patterning or decoration. It was long, like a stave, possibly even the length of a sword ... but who would leave a sword in the forest like this, abandoned, and with a dying fire? It hadn't even been banked, but she could find no footprints leading either to or from the cave. She'd seen her own clearly enough, and the rain had made the soil muddy enough that she couldn't imagine someone managing not to leave a clear trail.

Frowning, she sat before the fire and drew the bundle into her lap, cautiously unwrapping it. Behind the blue sheet of cloth - a large towel, to appearances - was a clean white gi, both top and bottom, wrapped around still something else. She removed those, revealing a long, smooth length of wood, and a scrap of paper. Fingers trembling, she hefted the wooden weight.

And who, exactly, would leave her sword in the middle of nowhere? Swallowing back a combination of satisfaction and worry, she turned her attention to the paper scrap. Written on it in handwriting that was better than she expected from Ranma - but not much - was a message.

She read aloud, barely more than a breath, "Motoko-san, I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you. I don't understand why your sister made the decision she did, but I won't make you do something you don't want to. I hope you come back soon. I'll..." she trailed off, her eyes widening, as she managed, "leave Hinata-Sou and move on as soon as I can. Oe Ranma." She folded the letter up carefully and looked upwards, at the stone ceiling of the cave.

Mulling things over, she frowned. She wasn't happy with this - she had wanted her sword back on her own terms. But ... at the same time, this meant that Ranma had made the choice, not her. He had decided not to fulfill her sister's commands - not her. And that meant... That meant...

What did that mean, exactly?

She frowned, lost in thoughts of honor and duty, then sighed. "Ranma," she mused quietly. "Where are you now, I wonder?"

A loud - but petite - sneeze reached her, sounding from over the cave's entrance, and she sighed again, shaking her head.

XXX

Shinobu hummed to herself quietly, working in the kitchen. The construction crews still came, even though Ranma was not with them, and had diligently cleared the bathing area of rubble. The hot springs were full again, but this time with rainwater, so intense was the downpour. Still, they had at least managed to seal up the house against rain before the worst of it began, the only leak appearing in a currently unoccupied room.

That had been patched, and then the construction crews had proceeded to dig up all of the plumbing - leaving it intact but exposed. She shook her head, frowning at the disaster area of the backyard. The craters of Ranma's fight against Happosai were completely gone, lost in all the digging. A voice called out behind her, "Oi, Shinobu-chan."

"Sempai!" she cheered, turning, and expecting to face Ranma. What she got, of course, was not Ranma, but Haruka, who raised one eyebrow at the title, her cigarette hanging from its usual spot between her lips.

The woman smiled finally, after a moment, and said, "It's good to know I still sound as young as I look. Do you know where Keitaro is, Shinobu-chan?"

"Ah ... um ... he's ... studying, I think," the girl managed, fumbling for words.

Haruka nodded and headed out of the kitchen, towards Keitaro's room.

Sighing, Shinobu shook her head. "Not again," she grumped, turning her attention to a bubbling pot on the stove, checking to make sure the kettle she had set to warm remained so. It had, and she nodded happily at it, focusing on adding seasonings to the pot sharing space with the kettle, while she heard footsteps behind her.

"Ugh," Haruka's voice groaned.

"Obasan?" Shinobu asked cautiously, not looking away from her cooking. "Is something wrong?"

"She's not that old," Motoko replied, startling Shinobu so much she nearly dropped the ginger into the pot and over-seasoned the soup.

"Augh!" she exclaimed, panicking and turning to face the girl. Motoko was carrying Ranma - in his cursed form, of course - on her back, Motoko seeming more herself, and Ranma... Ranma looked fit to die from her fever, her face flushed, and eyes distant.

"Wanna lie down now," Ranma mumbled, not moving much, her arms over Motoko's shoulders as she slumped listlessly.

Motoko glanced at the redhead's face, pressing into her shoulder, and coughed quietly. "I am going to take Oe-san to his room," she announced to Shinobu. "But he seems to have caught cold."

Shinobu nodded, glancing out the window towards the construction workers. "I'll bring some tea, sempai," she managed.

Motoko nodded in response, trudging - apparently - with relative ease down the hallway. Stilling her rapidly beating heart at the surprise, Shinobu stirred the soup carefully and allowed herself a small smile. Well, however it had happened, Ranma had gotten Motoko back, so she was confident that everything would work out.

XXX

No light escaped the angry clouds, leaving Ranma's room dim. She shuddered slightly, shivering into her blanket and squirming around, trying to find a spot on her bedroll that was somehow warmer. The spot didn't exist to be found, so she shivered again, snaking an arm out into the cold air and snagging her jacket, which she then dragged atop the blanket, wishing it would warm her.

"Ooh, not feeling too good?" someone asked sympathetically.

She mumbled something sounding appropriately negative, and pulled her blanket up to her nose.

A cool hand touched against her forehead for a heartbeat, then was pulled away with a quiet yelp. "You're burning up! Ranma, should I call a doctor?"

"Nnn," she managed, shaking her head slightly. "Had worse."

"You sure?"

"Real sure," she said, finally approaching something near comfortably warm.

"Okay, then..."

Ranma closed her eyes, too tired to even look, but guessing that the person was Mitsune. Everything felt far too unconnected, and diffuse...

"...P-chan?"

Her eyes flickered suddenly, and she struggled to sit up, but lacked the strength, and succumbed to darkness.

XXX

... noise from outside? What was it that had brought her-

"Ranma!"

The thoughts died a swift death. "I can explain everythin-"

"No," Akane said, her voice cold, eyes filled with raw hurt and anger. "You can't, Ranma. Get out."

"But-"

"Get out!" she screamed, stepping away from him, while her father stepped forward, just as much anger visible in his gaze.

"This is too much, Ranma," he said, growling. "Leave - now."

"I..." But they had no reason to listen. Not bothering to face either of them any longer, and unable to bear the sight of...

XXX

She sat up gasping, eyes widened in the darkness. Mitsune shook her head to clear it from where she had been dozing off, and turned her attention to the feverish redhead. Ranma exclaimed something then, too quiet to make out completely, but sounding like a name.

Mitsune frowned at that, filing the information away for later, and seeing the unhealthy glow in Ranma's eyes - the poor boy-turned-girl was delirious with fever. "Yes?" she asked cautiously, kneeling at the redhead's side, and pressing her gently back to her bedroll. Ranma had to have been sick, to have been so weakened she couldn't resist Mitsune's strength.

Ranma sagged to the bedroll without resistance at hearing Mitsune, though her feverish eyes were looking far beyond her. "You're okay?" she asked anxiously. "Not hurt?"

Mitsune raised an eyebrow at that. "No, no," she soothed Ranma. "I'm fine. But you need to rest."

"Rest," Ranma mumbled. "I never meant it," Ranma said quietly, her strength ebbing, and shaking her head. "Accident. Stupid P-chan..."

"P-chan," Mitsune murmured, considering the only coherent name she'd gotten from Ranma. Perhaps when he was himself again, she could ask him in greater detail, and try to unravel the entire mystery. Until then, she could just watch over her, and make sure she recovered. She bit her lip, staring at the girl. She didn't like the idea of a relationship with Ranma because she didn't like the idea of being with Ranma when Ranma was a girl ... at least, not in that way.

But... He was more likable than she had let on, and she had to wonder...

There had to be something there, to make her take care of the poor fevered girl through the night. Something.

XXX

In her own room, Motoko rested on her futon, staring at the ceiling, and wondered.

When she had approached the redhead, sitting atop the shelter, Ranma had only offered, "I thought that you'd come out sooner," already appearing to be ill.

What was it that made Ranma decide to do as he had, and return the sword to her? She had been placed completely in his power, and he had simply given it up... When she had demanded her sword back, he had refused, only the night before she had left. But now... Now he'd given it back, along with an apology, and said that he was leaving as soon as he could.

If she didn't know any better, she'd think that, maybe, she had judged him poorly... But then, had she reacted so badly? Naru typically did the same to Keitaro whenever he did anything so inappropriate, didn't she? She raised her head, frowning, as Naru dashed down the hallway, dragging Keitaro by the hand, and blinked at the couple. Keitaro only gibbered faintly until they vanished down the stairs, and a loud cry of "Pervert!" rang through the air, followed shortly by the sound of a muffled impact.

Then again, maybe she had chosen bad people to use as a demonstration on how exactly men and women were supposed to interact. Would Seta and Haruka be a better example?

She frowned at that thought for some reason and shook her head. That wasn't it. Maybe ... maybe there really wasn't that much of a difference, and she'd be better off acting that way?

That could work ... but if she did that...

A bleak frown grew across her face as she considered things.

XXX

Waking to a brightly-lit room, Ranma sighed, blinking away the sleep and yawning. The sense of health that she never really appreciated until after she had recovered from an illness filled her, and she stretched until she realized that someone had wrapped themselves around her while sleeping.

Again.

She sighed, reaching under the covers, and gently pushed Suu away from her. Except instead of finding a shoulder, she found something much larger ... and much softer. Blinking, Ranma threw off the blanket, revealing Mitsune, who sat up, blinking slowly.

The woman languorously unwrapped herself from the embrace and smiled at Ranma, stretching, both of them - thankfully - completely clothed. "Good morning," Mitsune said cheerfully.

"Uh," Ranma managed, blinking. "Why were you..."

"I was watching over you last night while you were sick," she said, scooting off of the bedroll and kneeling to one side. She yawned quietly and shook her head. "Just after midnight or so, you got really cold, so I climbed in with you to help warm you up."

"Oh," the redhead said quietly. "Thanks, Mitsune. Sorry ... I must have been really sick."

"I was going to call a doctor, but you insisted that you've had worse," Mitsune said in reply, shrugging.

"I have. Um... thanks a lot, actually, Mitsune."

"No problem - next time, I'll take all our clothes off. I hear it warms you up faster."

Ranma blushed darkly at that, shaking her head, and rose to her feet. "I'm going to take a bath," she announced.

"Better hurry, before the construction crew gets here," Mitsune advised. "Today's Saturday - when's the next day you work?"

Ranma winced. "Today," she sighed. "I lost a whole day to being sick - did anything happen?"

"Not really," Mitsune said, climbing to her own feet, as Ranma picked out the day's clothing. "You should just be happy that you got over it so quickly."

Nodding, Ranma grabbed her chosen outfit and swept out the door, making a beeline towards the baths - and hot water. The water was too hot when she got there, but also too low, so she added some cold water to the bath, which averaged it out nicely. She then scrubbed herself off, wincing at the cold water, and happily dunking into the bath with a contented sigh.

Male again, he relaxed for a moment, until he heard footsteps approaching, and realized that he'd forgotten to put up the 'occupied' sign. Jumping out of the bath, he swiftly toweled himself off, dressed, and leapt off the balcony, bouncing up from the railing and snagging the edge of the roof. In short order, he crossed over to the other side of the inn, dropped to the ground, and made his way back to his room.

When he got there, Mitsune had already put up his bedroll for him, and then apparently gone to her own room. He smiled faintly at that, then shook his head, tossing his dirty laundry into a heap and rushing to the exit. He heard the other workers trooping up the stairs as he reached the side-exit, and was only just able to avoid being late.

XXX

It wasn't until after work had let out that Ranma was able to relax - he hadn't had time to grab something for lunch, and Mitsune was out doing her own job, and so unable to bring him something. Still, Shinobu was cooking something - he could smell it from his perch on the rooftop - and he could be patient for a while yet.

He rolled out of the way, warned by a twinge at the edges of his perception, as someone landed where he had been laying only a heartbeat ago. "Oi!"

Bouncing to his feet, Ranma grinned. "Heya, Noriyasu-san," he greeted, nodding.

Seta shifted from his combat stance to a more neutral one, grinning back. "Oe-san, good to see you again!" he enthused. "Sorry about missing the last meeting to spar, but I found a site I wanted to investigate..."

"A site?" Ranma asked, cocking his head to one side.

"Oh, I'm an archeologist," he explained. He nodded to himself, then glanced around the rooftop. "Is Motoko-chan here?"

Ranma frowned and shook his head, as he hopped down to the deck of the laundry area. "I'm not sure," he admitted, looking around.

Only Mitsune and Naru were there, bringing in the laundry before the sun set. "Hello!" Seta greeted them enthusiastically after following Ranma.

Naru smiled at the men, nearly fumbling her laundry as they lit upon the deck, and nodded. "Are you looking for Motoko-chan?" she asked.

"Yes, actually," Seta chuckled. "I was going to spar with Oe-san and Motoko-chan for a bit, since I forgot to last time."

"Motoko's downstairs - I'll tell her that you're looking for her," Mitsune advised, she and Naru gathering up the last of their laundry and retreating from sight.

"Archeology?" Ranma asked after a moment, breaking the silence.

Seta shook his head, his expression changed from his normal vacant-seeming smile to a slightly more solemn look. His eyes fixed upon Ranma, as he said, "I remembered meeting a Saotome Genma, once."

Ranma winced and looked away, unable to meet Seta's eyes.

"Ah ... when Haruka and I, and Sarah's mother... But that's a story for another time." He smiled faintly and shook his head. "He was a good martial artist."

Ranma nodded, still not meeting Seta's eyes.

"But you're better." Ranma looked up sharply, while Seta nodded absently, his expression melting back into the placid mask he generally appeared to wear. "If you beat Happosai..." he murmured.

Before he could say anything in response, Motoko arrived, emerging from the same hallway that Naru and Mitsune had disappeared down. She looked at Ranma and Seta coolly, then focused her attention completely on Ranma. "Oe-san," she intoned, fishing a scrap of paper from her pocket.

He shifted his feet uncomfortably, nodding. "Aoyama-san?" he asked after a moment.

"I...if you mean to hold to the terms of this letter," she said slowly, pulling her sword from her belt. "Then ... I have reconsidered." She held the sword to him hesitantly, and he stared at it dumbly.

"What?"

"I ... wish to honor my sister's wishes, and train with you, Oe-sensei," she said, looking away and still holding the sword out to him.

He reached for it, uncertain, and swallowing nervously, finally took it from her. She seemed nervous, not looking at him, and shifting her feet uncomfortably, until he said, "Then ... I will teach you. But ... this is your sword, so you should hang onto it. If you want me to teach you ... you may not end up using it for a while, but you should keep it, not me."

The sword was passed back, this time Motoko pausing uncertainly before accepting it. When she did accept it, her face was darkened with a blush, and she still couldn't meet Ranma's eyes. "Thank you," she said quietly. "Oe-sensei."

From behind him, Ranma heard Seta chuckle, and say, "Well, that's a fine beginning ... but unless I'm mistaken, I think that dinner's ready!"

"Ah!" Shinobu exclaimed, running out to the deck from the hallway. "Oe-san, sempai, dinner is ready!" Her message delivered, the girl vanished back into the inn.

"Er... We can start tomorrow, I guess," Ranma offered, grinning.

"I look forward to it," Motoko replied, not grinning, but offering a small smile of her own.  


* * *

Author's notes: Hopefully this chapter will work better than the last. :)

Special thanks to the Refuge for their help with it! 


	7. Visitors!  Hoax!  Madness!

"I see you know how to hold a bokken," Motoko observed, shifting into an offensive stance, her wooden blade before her. Ranma nodded, taking up a stance of his own across from her. "I've had a bit of training," he said casually.

"I think I recognize the style," the kendoka said slowly, studying him. "Are you ready?"

"Of course," he flippantly replied. "Let's see what I can teach you."

The two rushed one-another then, wooden swords passing mere hairsbreadths apart before flying onwards.

On the sidelines, Shinobu gasped, covering her eyes and unable to watch, while the rest of the tenants stared avidly.

The two fighters passed one another and reassumed their stances, each facing away from the other. Both bore impassive expressions, the only features to differentiate the scene from a samurai drama being Ranma's casual jeans and T-shirt, and the bokken they bore in place of actual blades.

Finally, Ranma straightened up, turned to face Motoko, and said, "I think I pulled something," before collapsing flat on his face.  


* * *

Diamonds in the Rough - Chapter Six - Visitors! Hoax! Madness!

Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine. That's all.

Notes: Divergences should become apparent as relevant.  


* * *

"Well," Haruka mused quietly, watching the duelists on the island from the safety of the riverbank. "That was unexpected."

Motoko stared at the bokken in her hands, and then cocked her head to one side, and turned to face Ranma, sprawled on the ground and unmoving. "Oe-sensei?" she asked cautiously.

He didn't respond, even when Suu bounced over the river surrounding the miniature isle and began shaking him. "I think you broke him," the smaller girl surmised, frowning. She brightened a heartbeat later. "Now I can take him apart and see how he worked!"

"I ain't dead," Ranma pronounced, spitting out a mouthful of dirt and sitting up, eyeing Suu suspiciously. She merely offered him an innocent smile. Shaking his head, he turned back to Motoko. "I think I'm gettin' the idea here, though," he said slowly, wincing as Suu prodded his side.

"Does this hurt?"

"Yes, it hurts," he snapped, picking her up, and rising to his feet. Motoko raised an eyebrow as the girl shifted her position to sit on his shoulders and toy with his hair. "Um ... anyway, it seems to me that you know how to use a sword really well, but you don't know how to fight without a weapon quite as well."

"And your own skills with a blade are less than remarkable," she returned flatly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Is it so certain that you should be training me after all?"

Ranma bristled for a moment, and Suu's hair stood on end, as though she had picked up a tremendous static charge. The girl looked at Ranma in surprise, but he calmed and her hair settled. "That's not the point. The point is I'm supposed to help train you. I bet you could probably beat anyone if you and the other person were using the same weapons."

"Keitaro beat Motoko-chan in a sword-fight!" Suu chirped happily, tugging on Ranma's braid.

Ranma's left eyebrow began to tic, and he turned towards the inn's young manager. "Really?"

"It was only a tie!" Keitaro protested quickly, waving his hands before him defensively, as if he could push Ranma's gaze aside. "She was sick!  
It was an accident, I swear!"

He stared blankly, then turned his attention back to Motoko. "Anyway," he growled, "I think the point is that you're well trained against specific opponents, but people with unorthodox styles or different techniques could beat you. You're very good at what you do, but you need to expand your focus more."

"Fair enough," Motoko allowed, nodding. "You were, after all ... challenging, unarmed."

Ranma's left eyebrow ticked again, stopping only when Suu leaned over him to examine his face closely, incidentally obscuring his view of Motoko. When Ranma calmed, she offered an impish smile, and straightened up. "Alright, I think a demonstration is in order, here. Kanrinin, would you be willing to lend a hand?" he asked, turning to Keitaro.

Keitaro looked around, as though there were another manager of the Hinata-Sou hidden among the trees to answer the call, then faced Ranma nervously. "Help how?" he asked, his voice trembling with worry.

"Just come here," Ranma said, beckoning him closer.

Hesitantly, nearly tumbling into the river despite his care, Keitaro found a path across the rocks and reached Ranma's side. "Okay," Ranma whispered to Keitaro, ignoring the ever-inquisitive Suu on his shoulders, "what I want you to do is very simple. I'm going to set up a quick sparring match between you and Motoko, alright?" Keitaro began to protest, eyes widening in panic, but Ranma quickly overrode him. "You'll have the bokken at your side, in a strap as though it were sheathed - Motoko will do the same. You'll stand at combat distance, draw, and then spar to one contact."

Keitaro shook his head uncertainly. "I'm not sure," he began hesitantly. "I think you really should wait until Seta-san gets here, and ask him for his help."

Ranma offered Keitaro a somewhat reassuring smile. "Trust me on this one. There's a trick to it. The bokken is going to be on your left side,  
and you'll draw it with your right arm, across your body. You start the duel with your hand on the hilt. As soon as you hear me say 'begin', you  
just draw it and bring it straight across your body as hard and fast as you can, angled downwards. The tricky part is, at the same time, you want to throw yourself to the ground on your left side. Your momentum should carry you clear, and let you hit her once - and that's all that the match is to. You follow?"

Sighing, Keitaro nodded, taking the cloth strap and putting it over his shoulder. "I get the feeling I should start praying now," he muttered, shaking his head.

Motoko put her hands on her hips, frowning, and called across the distance, "What's this, Oe-sensei?"

"A demonstration," he replied, explaining the rules again for her benefit quickly.

Once he had done so, Motoko nodded, taking up a stance within Keitaro's reach and sheathed her bokken in a loop of cloth at her side. Keitaro  
swallowed and put a hand on the hilt of his bokken, closing his eyes and waiting.

Motoko frowned, and both waited until Ranma's signal to move. Both combatants shot into motion the second that Ranma barked, "Begin!" Motoko swiftly drew her sword, launching a blindingly fast slash across Keitaro's midsection - but the young man wasn't there to receive it. The second she began to move, he'd already begun throwing himself to the ground, away from the stroke, drawing his wooden blade and swinging it in a motion too fast to be clumsy. The strike drove into Motoko's leg, unbalancing her and throwing her to the ground, stunned.

Keitaro hesitantly opened one eye from his prone position, Motoko collapsed near him. "I'm not dead?" he asked hesitantly, sitting up and looking at Motoko nervously.

"Not yet, anyway," Motoko growled, sitting up near him. "What kind of underhanded move was that?" Her eyes narrowed and she turned to face Ranma, who nodded smugly.

"You underestimated him, and left yourself open. If this were real swordplay, Keitaro would have taken your legs off just above the knees, Motoko," Ranma explained. "Not because he's skilled, but because he's doing something you don't expect. That's what I think I need to teach you. How to deal with the unexpected."

Motoko frowned, mulling that over, and climbed to her feet, nodding. "I ... suppose, but that trick wouldn't work again, so are you certain this is necessary?"

"Ranmas are clever," Suu warned suddenly. "They can come up with many tricks."

The martial arts instructor looked upward at the girl perched on his head, and frowned. "Exactly," he answered, turning to face Motoko again. "And really, trying to learn every trick you're going to be hit with isn't as practical as being able to adapt to the unexpected."

The kendoka sighed, nodding, and offered Keitaro a hand up. He accepted it hesitantly, climbing to his feet, and glanced at Ranma uncertainly. "That makes sense, I guess," he said slowly.

"That's just one aspect of it, though," Ranma said, shrugging. Turning his attention to Keitaro, he smiled slightly. "But, you know, something that would be helpful here is someone else for Motoko to spar with, aside from just me. Kanrinin ... are you interested in learning?"

"Eh?" Keitaro blinked, stunned. "Me? Learn martial arts? Well, I don't-"

"It'd be a great idea," Ranma assured him. "You picked up what I told you to better than I thought you would - I thought you'd just hit her at the same time she hit you - and learning has other benefits, too. It'll improve your balance, your physical conditioning, and your coordination."

"And detract from his excuses to 'accidentally' be a pervert," Naru teased from the sidelines.

Keitaro looked at Naru for a moment, then turned back to Ranma. "If ... you think I would be any good, then I'll go for it," he said, grinning. "It's going to be a few weeks before I need to study again, anyway."

Ranma clapped his hands together, smiling back at Keitaro. "Excellent!" he enthused. "Anyone else interested?"

"I already know martial arts," Naru deferred.

"Figures," Keitaro grumped quietly.

"What kind?" Ranma asked, ignoring the manager, and jumping to land before her. Behind him, Suu yelped, wondering how exactly her Ranma had turned into a Keitaro.

"Seta-san taught me some of what he knows," she replied, taking a half step back, and balling a hand into a fist before her, waving it menacingly.

Glancing behind him, to where Mitsune had raised a speculative eyebrow, and Shinobu had finally stopped covering her eyes, Ranma said, "Okay, how about this, then, Narusegawa-san - I want you to knock me down."

He snapped his head around in time to raise one hand, catching her launched fist, and pulling on it. His other hand shot out, pressing into her sternum as he pulled on her fist, guiding her in a gentle throw over his head, and then setting her on the ground with the minimum possible force. Naru found herself sitting on the dirt, her arm locked in Ranma's vice-like grip. "Hey..." she mumbled. "How'd you do that?"

"There's more to defending yourself than just knowing how to throw a punch," Ranma replied, releasing her hand, and turning to look at Mitsune.

"We don't have to try and get as good as you if we agree, do we?" Mitsune asked hesitantly.

"Nah, just enough to get into shape, to defend yourself - most people don't have the drive to get as good as me, or Motoko-chan, or Haruka-san," Ranma replied, jerking his head towards the older woman.

"You've never seen me fight," Haruka said around her cigarette, raising one eyebrow.

Ranma grinned at that, nodding. "Yeah, but I can tell by the way you move, Haruka-basan."

One eyebrow twitched slightly, and the woman cracked her knuckles. "Do I get a turn to try and knock you down, now?" she asked.

"Um... pass," Ranma replied, edging away and putting Naru between himself and the woman. "Anyway, I've got to get to work today, but if you're up to it, we can start training tomorrow morning. Sound good?"

After seeing the scattered hesitant nods, Ranma grinned again and leapt away, joining with the construction crews.

XXX

Shortly after the sun rose, shedding soft amber light across the field, Ranma surveyed his assembled students.

Motoko was there, as expected, along with both Keitaro and Mitsune. Narusegawa had passed on the opportunity to learn, as she already knew what she had needed, but Shinobu and Suu had both elected to see what they could learn. Keitaro could only guess at the other's reasons - Mitsune liked the idea of being able to stay in shape, and probably just to ogle Ranma. Suu liked being near Motoko, or Ranma, and this was what both of them were doing, so it seemed to make a certain amount of sense. He wasn't certain what prompted Shinobu to join, but hoped it wouldn't be too much for her.

She and Suu were both dressed in their school physical education uniforms, while Mitsune wore track pants and a T-shirt. Motoko was dressed in her standard garb, as was Ranma, while Keitaro was wearing an older pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

Ranma bowed to his class, and they bowed back to him. "Okay, for some of you, this may be old news, and for some of you, this may be new ... but the first part of your lessons is going to be how to fall right."

Motoko nodded dubiously at that. "Some of you look like you already know the basic idea, but learning how to fall correctly can save you from being hurt in an accident, or how to save yourself some damage when you get knocked down in combat."

And so the lessons began...

XXX

Now into the third week of repairs on the inn, Ranma had grown comfortable with his job and practicing regularly with Motoko and the other tenants. Other than being easily annoyed by Sarah on her thankfully infrequent visits, he felt he got along with everyone who lived in the inn. Motoko made it a point that while she respected him, and he was her teacher, she didn't like him ... but he could respect that, and they got along well enough in the meantime.

Mitsune reminded him - in many ways - of Nabiki, but at the same, seemed less mercenary ... and sometimes more devious. The manager of the inn was easy to get along with, and showed a surprising aptitude to learn martial arts. Enough so that Ranma had asked if he'd had formal training before. Keitaro explained that he hadn't, but the things that had happened at the inn before he began training probably already honed his reflexes. Not sure what else to teach, Ranma had begun demonstrating Tai Chi to him.

Shinobu and Mitsune progressed at about the same rate, and Ranma had decided to teach them Tai Chi, as well. Trying to teach multiple forms of martial arts would just be confusing to everyone, after all. Shinobu had shown a lot more strength than he had expected from such a small girl, but he thought she could benefit from training to turn an attacker's moves against themselves. Suu was difficult to teach, seeming to shift whatever he tried to show her into a form similar to Savate ... but she was very good at it - a lot better than he'd expected for someone who had just started to learn.

He shook his head, banishing the distractions. Training would need to take a back seat to studying for the exams, soon, though he wouldn't drop it entirely. For the moment, however, he had work to do. "So," he said, turning to one of the identical-looking members of the construction crew, "we just need to get the water heater into place, all of the rest of the plumbing is ready?"

"Exactly right," Taiso announced, rounding the corner of the view to where Ranma stood, just outside of the bathing area. "We'll need to move the water heater into location, of course, and that's going to require something to move it across here without damaging the area. We'll probably get a small crane in here in the next few ... days..." Taiso trailed off, as Ranma dashed over to the side of the huge metal water heater and hefted it over his head with only minor strain.

Grunting, Ranma carried the water heater over to its proper location and carefully set it into place. "No problem," he said cheerfully, pulling a wrench from his back pocket and motioning to some of the other men to cut off the water pressure. They did so, and he removed the plug caps on the old plumbing, swiftly fastening the new water heater into place. After checking the pipes, he repeated the process for the gas line, and sealed the valves, motioning for the other workers to turn the water back on.

After it was done, they waited for a few quiet seconds. Then, they heard the sound of water rushing in to fill the large tank. "Awesome," he breathed, moving on to set the pilot light aflame before reporting back to Taiso. "Don't need any more equipment, boss - everything looks good-to-go."

"Impressive," Taiso allowed, nodding slowly. "I was going to have the secondary crew hook that up in a few days, but ... well. Hot water restored is a major progress mark for the restoration of this historical inn. Let's call it a day, men!"

The construction crew raised their fists into the air as one and cheered loudly, then trooped off of the property, Ranma following them to the bottom of the stairs. Taiso paused there, turning to face him, and said, "Good work, kid. I underestimated you."

"Um ... thanks," he said, uncertain. "Why are we stopping so soon, though?"

"Hey, the water heater was a major project - the men deserve a break after a challenge like that," Taiso dismissed, hunching down slightly to  
be on a level with Ranma. "Anyway, since the plumbing's all done, next week I'll switch you over to siding detail, and we'll patch up the holes in the walls."

"Okay, I guess," Ranma said quietly, wondering at Taiso's approach to the repairs.

"You enjoy your weekend, kid."

"Sure thing, boss," he replied weakly, as Taiso hopped onto a bus. "Something's not right here," he muttered, shaking his head.

Still, as long as work had gotten out early, he might as well spend that time studying with Naru and Keitaro...

XXX

"Heh," Ranma gloated, tossing his completed answer sheet onto the table before him. "There's my studying - see you later, I'm going to get in some practice with Noriyasu-san." Nodding at the other prospective students, he jogged out of the room.

Keitaro took the dropped paper with a trembling hand, and compared it to the key at his side, Naru watching him breathlessly. One question ...  
two ... another...

Once finished, he swallowed and set the answer key down. "Amazing," he whispered.

Naru nodded in agreement, only managing to add, "Every single question..."

Another moment of silence filled the room, the two bowing their heads in thought.

"How exactly did he finish high school with math this terrible?"

"I have no idea," Naru said quietly. "But with grades like these ... do you think he has a chance of getting into Todai?"

Keitaro considered that for a moment, then shook his head. "With scores like this, he'll actually place worse than me," he laughed.

Naru flinched at the laughter, but quickly managed a smile. "Oh, right, worse than you ... funny."

Dismissing herself from Keitaro's room, she made her way to her own room, wondering if she should tell Keitaro how she had done on the last practice test. Mitsune saw her on her way, and raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?" she asked the other girl.

"Nnn ... nothing," Naru dismissed. "How about you?"

"Just wondering how long it takes to fix up the inn," Mitsune said with a shrug. "It's been ... what, four weeks now?"

Naru frowned, considering things. Something here didn't add up ... Ranma's previous test scores, from what he had said, were better than his latest performance. Did it tie in with the inn taking so long to repair? While there were some visible differences, really, the inn wasn't that much different from when they had started working. "Well," she temporized, "the hot water's been restored, but ... that's a good question."

Mitsune brightened instantly. "I'll go ask Ranma!" she announced. "Want to come with me?"

Naru hesitated for a moment, then nodded, following Mitsune out to the torn-up side-yard, where Ranma was sparring against Seta. Just as well, she reflected, watching the two practice, that the yard was still not repaired. The way the two of them were fighting, it would have gotten ruined anyway. The fight ended in an apparent stalemate, Ranma shaking his head and Seta chuckling ruefully. "Heya, Narusegawa," he greeted, nodding at her. "What brings you here, Mitsune? Want some more practice?"

"No, no," she replied quickly, shaking her head and smiling. "But, the construction crew left early, didn't they?"

"Uh... yeah," Ranma replied hesitantly, as Motoko took over, sparring with Seta behind him. He seemed oblivious to the fact that Motoko and Seta were launching themselves at one-another in inhuman displays of force just behind his back, occasional misses tearing up the turf, and Motoko's techniques blasting narrowly to one side of him. "Taiso said that, uh, the guys deserved a break for getting the water heater set up."

"Well, hot water is good," Mitsune reasoned. "Still, it's been four weeks - how long is it supposed to take? I thought originally it was two weeks, maybe three."

Ranma rubbed his chin thoughtfully and bowed his head. "Well," he drawled, "let me calculate ... if you take the number of workers, the amount of work to be done..." He nodded to himself, eyes distant, mumbling, "Carry the one ... round up for odd shifts..." Standing fully upright, he smacked one fist into the palm of the other hand. "Got it!"

"How long?" Motoko queried, breaking off her match with Seta to listen in.

"Two weeks, three at the outside," he said confidently.

Mitsune blanched, and shook her head quickly. "That was the original estimate, though," she protested.

"Er ... well, yeah, but the workload was different," Ranma reasoned, rubbing his chin again. "See, if you take the amount of work that needed to be done originally, and then the number of shifts ... and then..." He scratched the back of his head, frowning intently. "Carry the one again ... round up for odd shifts..." He brightened immediately. "Got it!" he announced cheerfully. "It would have taken about two weeks, maybe ... wait, that can't be right." His face fell, as he struggled with the math in his head.

Naru stepped forward and asked, "Oe-san, can you give me the numbers you used so I can try the math?"

"I ... well, I got everything right," he said defensively.

"Why not give me a piece of paper and we'll work it out together, then?" she suggested, biting her lower lip.

"Okay," he acquiesced, pulling his notebook from behind him and offering it to Naru.

She flipped through it, stunned at the array of small sketches and notes throughout the book. Only a few odd phrases leapt out at her. A line that said 'clueless' beneath a small sketch of Keitaro with someone else. A smile came to her lips at that, but she dismissed it until she reached a blank page and cleared her throat. "Okay, what's the first number?"

Ranma obligingly explained the numbers to her, and she worked the entire formula out on her own. "Was I right?" he asked anxiously.

Naru bit her lip. "Um ... not ... exactly," she said weakly. "The formula you gave me is a trick ... pretty much any numbers you put in will always work out to just under two and a half weeks."

Ranma slumped, staring at the ground. "But ... what reason would Taiso have to lie?" he asked nervously. "And if that was wrong..." His eyes widened in horror. "I blew the math questions, didn't I?"

"Every single one," Naru affirmed sympathetically. "But ... I think the point here is trying to figure out what the construction crew is doing."

"I... They're getting paid by the hour, right?" Ranma asked, straightening up.

"I think you should ask Keitaro about that," Mitsune interjected. "To the Kanrinin- Onwards!"

The group - Motoko and Seta following along curiously - trooped to Keitaro's room, picking up Suu and Shinobu en route.

Keitaro glanced up from his desk when the door slammed open, and leapt backwards, reflexively yelping, "It was an accident! I swear!" Naru blinked at that, as Keitaro stared around wildly, then calmed, frowning. "Wait, what's going on?"

Quickly, Mitsune explained what Ranma and Naru had done. Keitaro bowed his head, thoughtful, then retrieved the ledger for the inn's finances, along with a copy of the insurance policy.

"Well," he said after a moment, "they're getting paid by the hour, but not by us. Um ... it would look like they're trying to cheat the insurance company, which will cover quite a bit more than they've already been paid."

"Perhaps I gave my respect to you too soon, Oe," Motoko murmured. "You've fallen in with thieves and scoundrels."

"I ain't like my Pops," he snapped at the girl irritably. "And I was just doing my job - but it all makes sense, now."

"Oh?" Motoko asked, raising an eyebrow and taking a half step backwards at Ranma's irritated comment.

"Yeah, see, they'd always be setting up stuff to take care of the next day, or always be needing some new piece of equipment from headquarters, or the weather wasn't right ... or something, and I always thought they meant it. But after I moved the water heater into place, I began to think that maybe they were being kind of lazy about it - especially when Taiso sent everyone home early for something I did by myself," Ranma explained quickly. "And now I'm not even going to see them until Monday..."

His eyes brightened and he turned to Naru, holding out a hand towards her. She stared at him uncertainly for a moment, then shook her head, handing him his notebook. "I have my original calculations, from before he gave me the formula," he muttered, leafing through the pages rapidly. "Ah! Here we go. By my original estimate, everything should have taken about five weeks, maybe a little less. But that was before I found out that these guys were slacking. If they really worked, they could probably fix the place up much faster - like three weeks from the beginning, or..." he hesitated, and pondered for a moment before finishing, "probably another week and a half from now."

"Well," Keitaro murmured, stowing the ledger and his copy of the insurance policy back in the small cubby that comprised the 'managers office' section of his room. "What are we going to do about it?"

"I'll deal with it," he promised coldly. "Taiso lied to me, after all."

"Like you didn't with the curse?" Mitsune nettled.

"That's different," Ranma grumped, some of his anger fading. "Ugh - what a day. I'm going to clean out the baths and get them set up - they should be open in an hour or two."

With that, he vanished, Suu brightening in his wake. "The hot spring is going to be back?" she asked excitedly.

"Hot water?" Shinobu managed, her only contribution to the conversation so far. "Wait, insurance fraud? Auuugh! Sempai, are you going to call the police?"

Keitaro shook his head slowly, frowning. "I think I'm going to trust this one to Ranma," he said quietly.

"Intrigue," Seta murmured. "Fascinating. Anyway, since Oe-san's busy, would you care to spar with me and Motoko-chan, Keitaro-kun?"

The manager whimpered quietly, as he was dragged outside.

XXX

The woods were silent, home to watchful eyes, and attentive ears. The young man before the woods, angrily absorbed in his practice did not notice the wood paying attention to him. He flowed from each form with power, but far less grace than the watcher expected, striving to wear himself down through the process of exhaustion, and rid himself of his anger.

The watcher understood this, and so waited, watching, patient.

A chance would come soon.

XXX

Shinobu, nervous about the changes, but grateful for the return of hot water - laundry would be so much easier, now - followed Ranma hesitantly after he finished cleaning the baths. Everyone else except Keitaro was comfortably soaking. Ranma lost the usual grace and elegance she admired when he showed her Tai Chi, instead using motions that even her newly trained eyes saw as clumsy.

He continued in that fashion for a while, then stopped, sighing and bowing his head. "Oe-san?" she asked tremulously.

That was when it happened. He turned to look at her, and time seemed to slow down, the woods behind him disgorging a fleeting creature of shadow, moving too quickly for her to make out. Much like Happosai, but significantly larger. It blurred towards Ranma, who was facing the wrong way to defend himself, and Shinobu's eyes caught the glints of steel, sharpened and upraised, descending towards the unsuspecting martial artist.

She shrieked in panic, eyes widening in terror as the mass of steel descended upon him, and he turned around in time to catch the blade with a resounding 'Whang!' noise on the side of his head. The force slammed him to the ground, where he slid all the way to her feet... Wait. Blades didn't make noises like a shovel smacking someone upside the head.

Swallowing nervously, she stepped across Ranma's prone form, slipping into her Tai Chi stance. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice quavering much more than she wanted it to, while she studied her opponent. The blur had stopped moving, and Shinobu beheld a young woman, probably about Ranma's own age, with long chestnut hair. She wore blue tights and a jacket, her hair bound with a white ribbon that waved playfully in the gentle breeze. In her hands she carried - of all things - a massive metal spatula, with an indentation approximating the profile of Ranma's head curving it.

"Not his best side," the girl observed, eyeing the spatula critically. She turned her eyes to Shinobu, and frowned. "Who am I? Who am I? I'll tell you who I am, I'm-"

"Ucchan?" Ranma asked groggily, climbing to his feet.

"Ranchan!" the girl exclaimed, breezing past Shinobu as though the girl weren't there and hugging Ranma tightly. "How've you been, you jackass?"

"Feels like someone dropped a roof on my head ... again," he grumped. "What's... oh... right." He flinched away, and the young woman released him, balling her hands into fists and planting them on her hips. "Um ... sorry?"

"Sorry?" she fumed, turning to look back at the spatula she had dropped when she charged past Ranma. "That all you can say? I spent ten years of my life chasing after you, Saotome, and then most of another year trying to get your attention, and now another, what, four nearly five years chasing after you again, and all you can say is 'sorry'?" She affixed him with a dire gaze and he shrank away a step.

"Um, I'm really sorry?" he asked meekly.

Her anger melted, and she giggled at him. "Oh, Ranchan, don't sweat it - that was about what I was expecting from you. I got my one good whack in on you, already."

"Oe-sensei?" Shinobu asked, terribly confused by this. "What's going on?"

"Oooh ... this is going to be tricky to explain," Ranma muttered, running his hands through his hair. "Um ... Shinobu-chan, this is my childhood friend-"

"Kuonji Ukyou," the young woman introduced herself, bowing to Shinobu.

"I'm ... Maehara Shinobu," she offered in reply, bowing meekly in return.

"Nice to meetcha!" Ukyou exclaimed, grinning. "Now, how'd you fall in with this lug?"

"Oe-sensei came here to try and get into college," she explained. "He's... He's teaching us martial arts, too."

"It that so?" Ukyou asked, turning to regard Ranma curiously.

"Eh... well, yeah," he said, shrugging uncomfortably. "Um, Ukyou, before we go on, I gotta tell you ... my name's not Saotome anymore. It's Oe. I'm now Oe Ranma."

"Oh?" Ukyou asked, cocking her head to one side. "Well, that's new." She shook her head, straightening up and retrieving her spatula. "You know why I'm here?"

"I'm guessing it's about the engagement," Ranma said slowly. Shinobu felt faint at the proclamation - it explained so much! Ranma was engaged to a dangerous ninja-woman!

"Ah!" Shinobu exclaimed. "So that's why you became gay!"

A moment of absolute silence took hold of the small clearing, Ukyou blinking, then taking a half-step back and eyeing Ranma up and down before it passed.

"Not again," Ranma groaned, smacking his forehead.

XXX

Ukyou watched, arms crossed over her chest, while Ranma proceeded to explain - in painstaking detail - why exactly he wasn't gay, incidentally filling in a lot of the gaps on his stay at the Hinata-Sou to Ukyou in the process. Once he was done, he sighed, and pleaded to Shinobu, "Do you believe me?"

"You're ... really not gay?" she asked, uncertain.

"I wouldn't have kissed Mitsune if I was," he stated firmly, nodding his head.

"Mitsune, you say?" Ukyou drawled, raising an eyebrow.

"Er... well, you see," Ranma temporized, wilting nervously under Ukyou's stare, "we're not, uh, dating, or anything like that, I just needed to prove that I was, uh, not gay. Yeah. That's it exactly."

"I see," she said, smiling softly. "Don't sweat it, Ranchan. It's been too many years - I had to figure out a long time ago what we wanted ... and if you ran away from the engagement, I figured that wasn't what you wanted, anyway."

"It was more complicated than that," he mumbled, bowing his head. "It was ... the dojo..." He swallowed nervously, looking away. "And my- And Nodoka."

"Hmm," Ukyou mused. "I wasn't hunting you down, Ranma. I was just passing through the area and heard someone mention you. So ... I've got my revenge." She hefted the spatula, eyeing the likeness impressed into its surface. "Should make my dad happy, anyway. And ... what he doesn't know doesn't hurt him."

"So ... what does that make us?" Ranma asked hesitantly.

"Friends, I hope," Ukyou laughed. "Now, c'mon, show me this Mitsune, and let me make sure she's pretty enough to replace me."

"It's not like that!" Ranma protested weakly, a smile forming on his face anyway.

Shinobu shook her head. "I'll never understand martial artists," she complained.

"Ah, stick with it - you'll understand in time," Ukyou encouraged her. "You've been training for, what, a year? Maybe two?"

"Three weeks," she said quietly.

Ukyou raised an eyebrow. "Good form," she allowed. "Ranchan's teaching you, huh?"

"Yes," she said quietly. "Um ... sorry, why don't you come inside so you can meet everyone else?" Her eyes widened suddenly, in remembrance. "Auuugh! I forgot to start dinner!"

"No sweat!" Ukyou insisted, restraining Shinobu before she could run away. "I'll make everyone okonomiyaki."

XXX

The entirety of the household had gathered to watch the situation unfold in the kitchen. Ukyou, as she had claimed, could indeed make okonomiyaki. That wasn't what impressed them, as much as the way she went about it, flipping her spatula with one hand, mixing the ingredients in midair before they struck the grill, and then flinging the cooked meal - on a plate - across the counter and into the dining section of the room. Ranma would effortlessly catch the plate and set it on the table. And all the while, they talked, Ranma not meeting Ukyou's eyes, but still able to catch the plates, and Ukyou looking directly at Ranma, yet still able to mix the correct ingredients.

It was, Shinobu decided, amazing. A ninja that made okonomiyaki. Who would have thought? "I was afraid at first that you'd be like the first person that came to visit Ranma," Shinobu admitted, blinking at her meal. The sauce across the top had been delicately brushed there, a fair likeness of herself - smiling - while in a Tai Chi stance, with her name at the side. In hiragana, as Ukyou wouldn't have known the correct kanji, but still... "This is really good!" she exclaimed, after taking a bite.

Ukyou winked at her in response, then asked, "So, who else didja meet? Kuno?"

Ranma made a face, snagging another plate from the air, and setting it before Mitsune, then taking Keitaro's empty plate and launching it back at Ukyou. She snatched it from the air with an equal lack of effort, then set it on the counter and sent yet another plate his way before he replied. "It was the ol' letch," he admitted after a moment. "For some reason, he wanted me to beat him, so I could get permission to teach."

"Ooh, well, that's half of it," Ukyou encouraged. "If you get the legal side of teaching taken care of, you'll be able to teach in a dojo professionally."

"That's what I want to get into college for," he explained, continuing the progression of aerial dish serving.

"Makes sense," she allowed. "You kinda vanished on us, there. You talk with anyone else, lately?"

Mitsune watched intently, saying nothing for the moment.

Ranma flinched, nearly fumbling a plate, and shook his head. "I try and avoid all the stuff from what happened back then," he said flatly. "I mean ... I don't mind seeing you. You weren't ... uh... Let's talk about this later. What have you been up to, Ucchan?"

She shrugged, turning the grill off and stacking the dirty plates next to the sink. When she emerged from behind the counter, she handed Ranma another plate laden with okonomiyaki, and took a seat. Hesitantly, Ranma followed suit, taking the seat that Haruka traditionally would have used, were she there.

"Not much," she said after a moment. "I mean, I decided to focus more on the art after you left, and only ran the shop for a month or three. Then it was training, catching up with my dad ... and studying. I didn't get into a great college, but I got my two-year degree."

"So, what are you doing here, looking for a place to set up a new shop?" Mitsune asked.

"Oh, well, that's what I'm supposed to be doing," she replied offhandedly. "I figure I'm probably going to head somewhere south of where my dad lives - this area's nice, but ... I prefer the climate down there."

"I thought you had a Kansai accent," Mitsune remarked.

"You're one to talk," Keitaro chided her.

"Oops, busted," the woman giggled. "Anyway, you told us your name - let me introduce myself. I'm Konno Mitsune."

"Ah, so you're the one," Ukyou commented archly, sizing her up and down. After a studious moment, she nodded and glanced at Ranma, stage whispering, "She'll do just fine, Ranchan." In a slightly louder voice, she asked, "So, how old are you?"

"Ooh?" Mitsune noised, taken aback. "Well, I'm 20 years old ... why do you ask?"

Ukyou nodded slowly, then announced, "I approve! As Ranchan's former fiancee, I give you permission to be his new fiancee!"

Ranma twitched at that, while everyone else stared at him in shock. "Um ... Ucchan," he said quietly, glancing at Keitaro's glazed expression, and the sheen of nervous sweat forming on Mitsune's, "that's, uh, not really necessary."

In response, the okonomiyaki chef stuck her tongue out at Ranma. "Spoilsport," she grumped. "No sense of fun." Turning to Keitaro, she asked, "So, what's your name?"

Blinking away his confusion, the manager rose from his seat long enough to bow. "I'm Urashima Keitaro, manager of this inn."

"I'm Kaora Suu!" the girl introduced herself excitedly.

"And I'm Narusegawa Naru," Naru completed, looking around the circle. "Thank you very much for the okonomiyaki - it was very good."

"Oh, no problem," Ukyou said dismissively. "When you practice something for close to two decades, you tend to get good at it, you know? Anyway, I've got to get back to look at a few sites in the area before the sun goes down completely - but if you're still here tomorrow, Ranchan, I'd love to catch up with you."

"I'll be here," he confirmed. "The work on the inn's stopped for the next two days, so I'm just going to, uh, study my math and work on training."

"See you round, then," Ukyou said, winking at him and vanishing out the door.

"That was ... interesting," Mitsune said, once the young woman had left. "You get your past showing up a lot, Ranma?"

"Not if I can help it," he said dryly. "I'm going to do the dishes and then use the hot springs." He paused for a moment, surveying the other tenants to assure that they understood what he meant, and that they wouldn't walk in on him.

Keitaro intercepted him before he reached the kitchen, prompting, "You go on ahead, I'll clean up here."

After a hesitant moment, he nodded, and retreated to the outdoor bath.

XXX

Once he had finished the dishes, Keitaro sighed, glancing behind him. All of the girls were gone, once the meal was over, but that wasn't what concerned him at the moment... What worried him was the construction crew. He knew that Ranma was strong, fast, and a good martial artist. He wasn't, however, certain that it would be a good idea for Ranma to confront the construction workers alone.

They were large, burly, and there were dozens of them. Ranma himself wasn't perfect, as his failure to defeat Motoko at kendo had demonstrated. Not only that, he mused on his way to the hot spring, they could damage the inn itself. Or refuse to work on it further. When he considered it, he wondered if maybe he should confront the workers himself.

But, he realized as he tossed his clothes into a hamper and strolled into the bathing area itself, how would he explain that he knew? He only knew now because Ranma and Naru had figured it out - from the information he was supposed to know, everything was slowed due to legitimate holdups. "Seta-san was right," he grumbled. "There is intrigue involved."

"You can say that again," someone said behind him.

He blinked, in the middle of lathering himself up, and glanced behind him nervously at the sound of Haruka's voice. But it wasn't Haruka, with her back to him, on a bathing stool, scrubbing her arm furiously with the other bar of soap - it was Ranma. "Oh," he sighed, relieved, trying not to be distracted by Ranma's curvaceous form - Ranma was a man, after all, curse aside. "Thought you were Haruka for a moment."

"It's the voice," Ranma said, shrugging. She doused herself with cold water, rinsing off the soap bubbles, and stood, shivering slightly. "Cold! I'm headed into the springs for a soak. What are you thinking, Kanrinin?" she asked, turning and giving Keitaro a good view before she strode into the hotspring itself, quickly reforming into the male that taught their martial arts lessons.

"Uh..." he drawled, shaking his head and pushing the lingering image of Ranma's female form aside. "I was thinking of the construction crew. How long ... do you think it will take to finish the work on the inn?"

"Dunno," Ranma said, obscured in the haze of steam rising from the springs. "I'm guessing two weeks - though I'm serious about it, this time."

Keitaro chuckled good-naturedly, gasping when he splashed himself with cold water to wash away the suds. "That's good to hear," he managed, his teeth chattering as he made his way to the springs. "Does the cold water seem colder to you?"

"Eh, we replaced the plumbing up to this point," Ranma answered distantly, adjusting his towel as Keitaro came into view and sat in the hot water nearby. "The pipes are better insulated ... the last ones in the house are supposed to be taken care of next week - the next phase of repairs is going to make it really hard to live in the inn for a while. You might want to have people change rooms for a day or so, so the workers can finish it faster."

"You..." Keitaro trailed off, considering. Why not trust Ranma? He was good for his word, as he had demonstrated. He defeated Happosai, as he'd said he would. He'd found Motoko, as promised. Why not trust him to deal with the workers? "Yeah, that'll be nice," he said, instead of asking if Ranma was certain. "The inn will look nice and new ... and we won't have all those piles of equipment in the yard."

Ranma merely nodded, his eyes distant.

"So, um ... what are you thinking about?"

He shook his head, offering Keitaro a smile. "Nothing important," he dismissed. "My math is all screwed up - I'm going to get to studying that for a bit. I'll be in my room if you need me, Kanrinin," he excused himself, rising from the spring, and vanishing towards the inn.

"Ah," Keitaro sighed, shaking his head, only smiling when Tamago splashed into the water near him, making a happy noise. "Hey, there," he greeted the turtle. "Thought you ran off for a while - found some place with a hot spring that still worked?"

Tamago nodded in the water, making another happy chirp.

"Traitor," Keitaro grumped, removing his glasses, and setting them on the floating turtle while he settled in for a nice long soak.

XXX

Carefully wrapping the package in the last bit of parcel paper, Ukyou gave a nod, and then sealed it with twine. She'd carry it back home with her instead of mailing it, given the relative importance of the entire thing. Well enough, she mused, falling to the futon on the floor of her rented room in the small hotel.

"Ranma," she murmured aloud. All those years... She'd finally given up on finding him again, until a random comment from someone near one of the building sites she had been looking at mentioned a young man with an incredible penchant for attracting troubles. A cautious question or two had revealed that there was also, in fact, a girl matching the description of Ranma's girl side.

Sighing, she looked up, frowning as someone knocked on her door. She climbed to her feet, checking her robe to make sure she was adequately covered before opening the door, and not entirely surprised to find Mitsune standing there, grinning nervously. "Heya," she greeted, waving at Ukyou.

"How'd you find out where I was staying?" Ukyou asked, moving to one side, and gesturing Mitsune to enter.

The other woman laughed quietly, and said, "This is where I work. I just didn't know you knew Ranma until you stopped by today."

"There's a thought," Ukyou giggled. "You live in one inn, and work at another."

"A job's a job," Mitsune dismissed. "In another month, I'll probably work somewhere else."

"I'm guessing that's not what you came here for, though," Ukyou surmised, gesturing to the low table, and the cushions around it.

Mitsune nodded, sitting at the same time as Ukyou, and grinning nervously. "That's right," she admitted. "I was ... curious about Ranma, and wanted to know if you could tell me something about him."

Ukyou frowned at that, drumming her fingers atop the wooden table. "I don't know," she said slowly. "If he hasn't told you himself, there could be a good reason for it..."

"Well, he's mentioned some things," Mitsune clarified. "He told me about you, after all."

Blinking, Ukyou raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Oh, yes, he said he'd wished he'd learned to make okonomiyaki from you before he'd left."

Ukyou giggled, shaking her head. "He could have just asked. What else did he talk about?"

"Mmm," Mitsune mused, looking distant for a moment. "Well, mostly he told me about his older brother."

"He has an older brother?" Ukyou asked, stunned. "He ... when did he get an older brother?"

"Well, I don't know," Mitsune said hesitantly. "If he hasn't told you himself..."

"Okay, okay," Ukyou sighed. "I'll tell you what I know, if you tell me what he's been up to since before he left Nerima."

"Easy!" Mitsune exclaimed, grinning. "He told me that something happened that made him leave - I don't know what, but I'm guessing it's really personal to him. When that happened, he met Oe Kintaro, who legally adopted him as a younger brother, and the two traveled together while Ranma studied for Toudai."

"Toudai?" Ukyou's eyes widened a fraction. "He's setting his goals higher, that's for sure. Why Toudai?"

"Because his brother went there, and he seems to really admire his brother," Mitsune offered. "Whoever he is, he must be a really great guy."

"I'll say. Alright, now ... what do you want to know?"

Mitsune bit her lip hesitantly and sighed. "He's ... kinda hinted at it a lot, but I figure it can't all be bad, because he seems not to mind you as much as that other guy who he used to know..."

"Which other guy?" Ukyou prompted. "Kuno? Ryouga?"

Shaking her head, Mitsune frowned, a calculating hint to the expression before she asked, "No... he never said either of those names. But, he did mention someone named 'P-chan', once. Do you know who that is?"

"P-chan?" Ukyou asked, mystified. "Sure, that was Akane's pet piggy."

"Akane?"

"Er ... that was ... his uncute fiancee," Ukyou offered, blushing slightly. "Tendo Akane. We ... uh ... three of us were engaged to him at the same time..."

"And he ran away?" Mitsune laughed, shaking her head.

"Yeah, well ... things had a way of getting kind of hectic back then," Ukyou admitted, frowning faintly. "Anyway, Ranchan said the old lecher came around." Ukyou made a face at that, shaking her head. "Nasty. Did Ranchan kick his ass nine ways 'til Sunday?"

"Er ... the second time around," Mitsune allowed. "Then the old man told Ranma he was a teacher - that's why Ranma's teaching us, after all. Anyway, can you tell me what made Ranma decide to leave Nerima?"

"Oh, I'm not entirely sure," Ukyou admitted, looking at the wooden tabletop, and folding her hands together. "Um ... one day everything seemed pretty normal - and then the next day, the Tendo dojo was blown up, Ranma never came back, and Akane's family was gone for nearly a week. Whatever the Tendo family knew, they refused to talk about - even Kasumi."

"A week?" Mitsune asked, frowning. "Well, now it's a real mystery, isn't it? If I don't know, and you don't know ... hmm."

"It's a mystery, alright," Ukyou sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know, but I figure if he doesn't want to talk about it, there's probably a good reason for it. I bet it was really bad, and I'm just glad I wasn't part of the problem, far as I can tell." She grimaced.

Mitsune took the hint, and nodded, deflating somewhat. "You're probably right," she admitted.

"And, 'course, I think Ranchan'd get a bit annoyed at someone poking around behind his back too much, too," Ukyou mused, smiling. Mitsune stiffened, eyes widening slightly, but Ukyou shook her head. "Don't sweat it, sugar. I won't tell on ya. Just treat him right for me and give him a good whack once in a while, is all."

"We're ... not really dating," Mitsune confessed, shaking her head.

Ukyou's eyebrows rose. "Oh? Why not?"

"Well, it's... He's a great guy, and I like him, but, uh, that curse is ... a little ... weird," Mitsune admitted, looking away.

"Bah," Ukyou grumped, shaking her head. "Look past that - he's the same guy underneath it all, isn't he?" She paused, considering. If Mitsune couldn't see through that, maybe, really, it was for the best.

"That's true," Mitsune admitted, blushing. "And he's a really good kisser."

Ukyou brightened at that, leaning across the table. "Really? Tell me all about it!"

XXX

"You've changed a lot."

Ranma shifted his shoulders uncomfortably and stared at his teacup. Ukyou had come by to visit him, and he'd wanted to talk with her. On a hunch, he'd gone to Haruka's teashop, suspecting that the woman was more easily than capable of thwarting eavesdroppers than the manager of another teashop might be. It was also much cheaper, but that was incidental. "Maybe," he finally admitted, straightening up and smiling faintly. "I don't feel that different."

"You've changed," Ukyou insisted, giggling. She was dressed in a knee-length skirt and a white sweater, her hair up in a ponytail bound by the same white ribbon she always seemed to use. It was a marked change from the garb she wore yesterday - which was what he was used to seeing her in. "I think we all do, as we grow up, Ranchan, so it's nothing to be ashamed of."

He sighed, shaking his head, glancing to the side. Haruka leaned in the doorframe, just out of quiet earshot, facing the inn. "Sometimes I don't think I've changed enough," he admitted. "Ucchan ... you... Did anyone tell you why I left?"

"No," she said hesitantly, setting her teacup down, and reaching across the table to take one of his hands in her own. "I ... I wanted to know, Ranchan. I asked around, everywhere that I could think to. But ... the only explanation I got was from Nabiki..."

He was unable to speak for a while, merely staring at his teacup and nodding faintly.

"I ... let me tell you, Ranchan, what it was like, then..."

XXX

Ukyou perched atop the wall, surveying the ruined remnants of the dojo. The building looked as though it had been struck with explosives; ruined and shattered timbers were scattered across the yard in a senseless jumble. The house itself was relatively undamaged, only the covered walkway that had led from the dojo to the house crumpled onto the ground.

The neighbors had said they hadn't noticed a thing out of the ordinary, until the Tendo family had returned. And that was today.

Sighing, she hopped off the wall, circled around to the front door and knocked. Instead of Kasumi, Soun answered the door, looking down at her coolly. "Can I help you?" he asked after a moment, not motioning her inside.

"I'm ... um, looking for Ranchan," she said reasonably, managing a weak smile. "He's been missing some school, so I thought I'd check up on him," she offered.

Soun nodded, his eyes dimming. He did not, as she would have expected, begin bawling. Instead, he seemed to droop slightly, as though some vital spark of himself had been extinguished, and he no longer had the energy to cry endlessly. "He isn't here," he said after a moment. "He doesn't live here anymore. I don't know where he is."

Ukyou blinked away her shock, her heart racing and her thoughts confused. "Is ... Nabiki in?" she managed to ask, smiling faintly.

The man hesitated, then nodded, opening the door wide and motioning her in. Smiling obligingly, she stepped in, while Soun walked towards his habitual shogi game against Genma, though both of them looked subdued. Soun paused for a moment and gestured her towards the kitchen.

Frowning, Ukyou left as directed, somewhat surprised to see Nabiki standing in the kitchen, the apron she was wearing seeming almost out of place ... but not entirely. Nabiki was absorbed in reading the instructions printed in a handwritten book, nodding occasionally and checking a pot on the stove. "Nabiki?" Ukyou managed after a moment, confused again.

The girl looked up from her pot tiredly and raised an eyebrow. "Ukyou," she greeted neutrally. "Looking for your fiance?"

"Um ... yes," she said slowly.

"He ran off," she said dismissively, turning her attention to the pot on the stove. "Don't know where."

"So ... why are you in the kitchen?" Ukyou asked. "I thought you hated cooking."

"You grow to like it more than your father's, all things considered," she replied dryly.

"Um ... Nabiki ... what happened? The dojo's a complete wreck, and Ranchan's nowhere around."

"Yeah, kind of makes it easy for you, doesn't it?" Nabiki mused, sampling the soup from the pot, making a face, then nodding. "No dojo for Ranma to inherit, you know, means he's pretty much yours, after all."

"That doesn't explain..." She trailed off, biting her lip. "So, what did happen to the dojo? And, where's your sister?"

"Akane's in her room, or helping Kasumi," Nabiki replied frankly, turning to face Ukyou and look her in the eye. "Kasumi's not down here because she can't walk very well yet."

"What..." Ukyou began, before biting her lip again. If Nabiki were going to explain it, then she'd explain it.

"I'm not even going to pretend to understand," Nabiki said flatly. "Ranma decided to blow up the dojo, and nearly killed Kasumi in the process. He seems to have picked up on the fact that he's not welcome here anymore." She glanced at a clock on the wall, then made a face. "You should probably leave."

XXX

"And that's the last I heard of you," Ukyou finished wistfully. "I... never really got an idea of what actually happened, but ... the Ranchan I knew would never be responsible for something like that. The Ranchan I knew ... he would never hurt an innocent."

"Yeah," Ranma said, his voice thick, nearly cracking.

Ukyou's eyes widened, her gaze shifting upwards from the depths of her teacup to meet Ranma's eyes. Unshed tears shimmered there. "Ranchan?" she asked quietly.

"I was ... pretty sure ... she didn't die," he managed, his voice wavering. "I ... never ... even knew she was there-" He faltered, trying to mask a sob with a cough, and Ukyou slipped from her seat to rush to his side, eyes wide with worry.

"Ranchan?" she asked breathlessly. "What... Won't you tell me what happened?"

The man finally broke down, sobbing into his old friend's shoulder. Forgotten, still standing in the doorway to the teahouse, Haruka took a long breath, tempted to light her ever-present cigarette. Time enough for that later, she reasoned, restraining the hand that wandered towards the lighter in her pocket. For the moment, she'd learned more than she thought Ranma had meant to reveal, and it had made certain things clear to her.

Ranma's actions were explained, if not justified. And more importantly, he was watching over Shinobu with genuine concern, not something else. Something that would have worried her. She listened to the story continue between wracking sobs, carefully keeping her expressions neutral, and pretending to be absorbed in the trashy romance novel in her hands. Neither Ukyou nor Ranma noticed when she quietly reversed the 'open' sign on the door.

XXX

Ranma and Keitaro faced one another across the field of battle. "So," Ranma intoned. "This is how it begins? You betray me after all this time?"

"Your mastery of Dark Kingdom Dirty Infighting is weak, lowly worm!" Keitaro returned contemptuously.

"You shall never defeat me, for I am the true successor!" Ranma exclaimed, an aura of power playing across his fingertips.

"We shall see, insolent fool."

"No, for you are the fool who is being insolent!"

"Are you ready?"

Nodding slightly, Ranma waited for the unseen judge's signal before moving. The match began, Keitaro leaping across the distance, his body trailing a vivid aura of power. Backpedaling quickly, Ranma tried to put distance space himself and the manager's attack. He was too slow, however, and the impact launched a blinding green splash of light into Ranma's eyes.

"Auuugh!" he groaned, as Keitaro followed up the flashy strike with an array of ki attacks - his fists were sheathed in green flame, which exploded brightly across his opponent, splashing green fire and blood everywhere. Ranma could distantly hear someone ... who? Mitsune? Mitsune was cheering for him. He couldn't give up!

Trying to recover, he quickly launched a counter-attack - but it was too late.

His last vision was of the manager's final attack, and then everything began to grow dim, the manager's form laughing darkly as he incinerated Ranma's body with a stray bolt of ki. A deep voice announced, "NIFTY combo!" and Ranma fell out of his seat.

"I hate video games," he grumbled, handing his controller to Suu.

"Er ... it takes a certain knack," Keitaro assured him, laughing nervously.

"I guess," Ranma replied, shrugging.

"You need to use more of the ranged attacks," he offered, pounding buttons seemingly at random, as Suu's avatar - a small girl in a short skirt - proceeded to fold the manager's character into quarters, and then smashed what remained with a mallet.

"I guess," he said neutrally, stretching slightly, and rising from his seat. "Anyway, I gotta get back to studying, and I want to say goodbye to Ucchan before she leaves."

Keitaro nodded, his brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to win against Suu, who wasn't actually pressing buttons - she was gnawing on the controller, though her strategy was granting her a clear victory. He watched for a moment longer, until he spied Naru walking down the hallway, wearing her glasses and frowning at a study guide.

Shaking his head, Ranma left, vaulting through an open window - only ducking back inside long enough to grab his shoes - and bounded down the stone steps in front of the house. He didn't need the bike tonight, though the ever-present notebook was still tucked through his belt.

Rebounding from the sidewalk at the base of the hill, he launched himself across the street, off the top of a telephone pole, and then over a number of rooftops, landing before the hotel she was staying at. He paused for a moment, looking it over, then shook his head, and entered.

A man wearing a coat with the inn's logo on the front greeted him, smiling. "Hello, can I help you?"

"I'm here to see Kuonji Ukyou," he explained. The man nodded, motioning him to wait, and then vanishing around a corner. In short order, he returned, and again motioned at Ranma - this time to follow him. Ranma trailed after obligingly, nodding to the man when Ukyou greeted him at her door with a wink.

The man bowed, quickly vanishing from sight. Ranma allowed himself to be pulled into the room, Ukyou shutting the door behind him. "Heya," she said, giving him a quick hug, then leading him to the low table in the middle of the room. "Glad you came by before I left."

He nodded, glancing at the mess of papers on the table, then sitting opposite her. "Yeah ... I ... think yesterday was kind of ... um..." He struggled for a moment, then sighed, and said, "I wanted to say goodbye and have it be more cheerful than last time."

Ukyou smiled at him sympathetically. "I know it couldn't have been easy for you," she began, shaking her head. "I mean, I ... know that things were already pretty bad... I'm not going to blame you." She turned to look at the papers for a moment, then frowned bleakly. "Sometimes this work is really boring," she grumped. Smiling faintly again, she looked up at Ranma. "It was nice visiting with you, Ranchan ... even if we're only friends instead of engaged ... you're not a bad guy. I ... ain't gonna blame you for running away."

"Thanks, Ucchan. It's kinda ... confusing sometimes, you know?" he managed after a moment, smiling weakly.

"I can only guess," she admitted. "Listen, sugar ... I ... have to decide where I'm going to set up shop for my father. He wants me to pick a spot around here, since okonomiyaki appeals to the college crowd, and it's kinda close to Todai." She bit her lip, staring at the papers. "I ... don't know if that'd be a great idea, though ... so I think I'm going to pick a spot near the college ... but not so close as I'll be in your way." She winked at him. "Still close enough you can drop by if you want someone to talk to, though. Sound good?"

"Uh ... that's ... fine by me," he said, his smile strengthening. "I don't think I'd want to never see you again, Ucchan ... even if we..." He swallowed, then shrugged, clearing his throat. "I was a confused kid, you know, back then."

"And I wasn't?" she asked archly. "Look, Ranchan, this is what all that growing up hooey is all about. And ... I think we've both done our best at it, which ... is more than I could say for some people, you know?"

He laughed at that, shaking his head, and pulled his notebook from his pocket. "You're right," he admitted, scribbling a few quick notes down. "So, when you pick out your place, you'll come by and tell me where it is, right?"

"You betcha!" she enthused, winking. "I gotta get ready for my train, it leaves in an hour or two, but you take care of yourself for me, okay, Ranchan?"

"Sure thing, Ucchan. You take care of yourself, too, okay?"

"No problem," she replied, rising to her feet, and giving Ranma another hug before letting him leave her room. "See you 'round!"

XXX

The deck was a popular spot to study, Mitsune surmised. Naru, Keitaro, and Motoko - who should have been at school - were all seated around a small pile of books, trading notes quietly. This would have been perfectly normal, were it not taking place on the balcony surveying the center of all the construction crew's activity.

Motoko was facing them directly, though ostensibly reading a book. Keitaro and Naru were leafing through their own study guides, nodding at Motoko's occasional comments. Shrugging, she sat between Naru and Motoko. "So," she began conversationally. "You can hear them from here?"

The kendoka shot Mitsune a look of what might have been annoyance, then nodded. "I have more than a passing interest in seeing what exactly Ranma does about this," she admitted.

"And aren't you worried he'll see you?" Mitsune asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He shouldn't be able to notice us up here - the tree branches obscure us from him, mostly," Keitaro offered.

"Okay, then, go ahead and tell me what's going on."

Motoko nodded, her eyes focusing on the boss of the construction crew. Taiso, his name was, if Mitsune remembered correctly. "He's giving orders to everyone on his crew," she said quietly. "They're all nodding, but not saying anything back."

Mitsune glanced over the scene. It was partially shielded by the same tree-branches that concealed the students, but she could make out the horde of construction workers, Taiso and Ranma alone standing out from among them. The scene seemed the same for a long minute, Taiso giving orders, and the others listening, nodding, and otherwise remaining quiet.

Eventually, it changed, and Ranma said something, stepping through toe crowd to stand before Taiso. "Oe says he has issues he wants to discuss with Taiso," Motoko murmured, furrowing her brow.

"Is Ranma going to fight the grand clone army?" Suu asked, seeming to appear from thin air behind Motoko, and peer over her shoulder.

"Shouldn't you be at school?" Motoko asked, glancing over her shoulder. "Oe is making a challenge against Taiso-"

The outraged cry of the construction workers cut off anything else that Motoko was going to say, and everyone on the deck turned to peer at the goings on below.

Ranma stood in the center of a wide circle of construction workers, along with Taiso. The burly man put his hands on his hips and turned his head to one side, the loud cracking noise echoing loudly enough to reach the deck.

Motoko had abandoned her pretences and was leaning over the railing to get a closer look. "Taiso is now asking Oe what the terms of his challenge are," she said quietly.

"Oh, well if it's combat, we've got no problems at all," Keitaro said, relaxing. "He's really good at that."

The kendoka shot him a strange look, and then shook her head, paying attention to the scene below. "Oe says that he's willing to challenge the crew ... so that if he wins, they will work their hardest to complete the inn, and do it well."

Keitaro grinned, nodding. "I knew he would come through," he stated authoritatively.

"And Taiso now replies that..." Motoko swallowed nervously, her eyes flicking across the rest of the crowd before turning to Ranma gain. "If he loses, Ranma will continue to work, and not complain, nor tell of what he's discovered."

Naru frowned at that, shaking her head. "Something doesn't seem right," she mumbled.

"And now Oe says the terms of his challenge - he says that before sunset tonight..." She blinked, shaking her head. "He says that working without any help from Taiso or his crew, he can finish repairing the entire roof of the inn."

Dead silence took hold of the roof, extending to the grounds below.

Finally, the quiet was interrupted by laughter - Taiso's laughter. "Taiso agrees," Motoko said flatly. "Does Oe really think he can do that  
much by himself?"

"He's certainly willing to try," Mitsune observed, as Ranma grabbed a double-armful of material off of the ground, and leapt to the rooftop.

XXX

Naru pursed her lips thoughtfully, waiting. Suu obligingly clicked a stopwatch and announced, "Fourteen tiles takes twelve and three fourths of a second."

"Okay, now, we take the area of the roof, and the average number of tiles in a square meter," she mumbled, while Keitaro nodded and obligingly listed off the numbers. "Hmm. Now, take the area left ... what's that?"

Keitaro checked a few of his calculations again, and gave her another number, which she quickly worked into her equations. Sighing, she shook her head. "He'd finish probably ... let's check the newspaper ... if he doesn't take a break, he'll finish an hour before sunset."

"That's good!" Mitsune enthused.

"Well, that's just replacing the tiles," Keitaro warned. "He's fast - really fast - but he's also going to have to replace ... um ... hang on a second." He produced a notebook labeled 'Keitaro's Manager Stuff' from one pocket and looked it over. "The main beams are solid, but two of the supports on this side need to be replaced. Three on the other side." He flipped a page and frowned. "The section of roofing that covered part of the bathing area needs to be put in - it's assembled, just needs to be installed. The front of the inn needs most of its tiles replaced too. Not to mention the fact that some of the insulation needs to be replaced around where those supports need to be knocked out and have new ones added in."

"That's bad," Mitsune said with a frown.

"The weather is fair, and should help keep him cool," Motoko reasoned. "He should be able to work for some time before he needs to stop and rest."

"That's good!" Mitsune enthused.

"I'm guessing he's fast - really fast," Naru added, watching Ranma work to replace the tiles over the otherwise good sections of roof. "But on top of all of that, he's going to need to stop to get more tiles every so often and get rid of the bad tiles, so he's not really even going to be as fast as we calculated."

"That's bad," Mitsune said with a frown.

"Taiso's crew is giving themselves a slight handicap by leaving the materials where Ranma can get them easily," Keitaro reasoned. "And so far, they haven't tried to keep him from using any of their tools."

"That's good!" Mitsune enthused.

"Though to judge by the way they're laughing at him, they know he can't do it in time," Naru warned, shaking her head again as she went over the numbers.

"Will you make up your minds?" Mitsune snapped. "Are we mourning or cheering, already?"

"Hmm," Motoko noised, tearing off her kendo outfit. Everyone stared, shocked, as she was wearing a pair of jeans and a comfortable looking short-sleeved shirt beneath. "His word of honor stated ... that he would work without their help." She smiled faintly. "They said nothing of mine." With that she bounded away, landing at Ranma's side on the rooftop.

"Um..."

"That's good," Naru encouraged Mitsune, winking.

"I knew that."

"Well, if that's the way it's going to be, as the manager of this inn, I should take some measure of responsibility," Keitaro reasoned, climbing to his feet, and carefully crawling across the rooftop to offer what help he could.

"That's good!"

Naru winced, then shook her head. "We'll see - I'd better keep him out of trouble." She dashed into the inn, returning a moment later in shorts and a T-shirt, then followed Keitaro onto the roof.

"That's probably good," Mitsune reasoned, then turning to face Suu, who watched interestedly. "So, what about you?"

"Suu can help," she declared, grinning, and bouncing eagerly across the deck.

"That's also good," she observed to no one in particular, producing a small bottle of sake from one sleeve. "But someone's got to stay behind and cheer them on," she reasoned.

"Too true - and my favorite brand," Haruka interjected, appearing almost from nowhere and taking the bottle from Mitsune's hands.

"Ack!" the girl exclaimed. "I was going to drink that!"

Haruka raised an eyebrow. "I could help them out," she reasoned, half-offering the bottle to Mitsune. "If you'll just watch over Sarah for me..."

Mitsune reached behind her back and produced a hardhat. "I'm a worker - I can do this!" she exclaimed, before scurrying out to join the others.

Haruka grinned to herself, nodding slightly, and pocketed the bottle. It would make a decent celebratory gift. All in all, however, things seemed to be coming together nicely.

XXX

The work proceeded quite neatly. Suu would happily break the old tiles, and Mitsune would follow, picking up the debris and stowing it safely - Suu would then sweep the area a second time and retrieve all the old nails. Once that was done, Naru would set out the new tiles, and Motoko would set the caulk. Keitaro would then hold the nails in place, and Ranma would hammer them home.

"Okay," Ranma grunted, as Suu and Mitsune uncovered a post that was obviously rotted through. "We need to get rid of this support and replace it with good wood."

Motoko and Naru nodded, breaking off their tile setting. Suu and Mitsune proceeded onwards for one last row of tiles, then collapsed, trying to catch their breath. Ranma checked the position of the sun, then sighed, frowning. "Okay, Kanrinin, you stand on the top of the roof and catch the beam when I throw it up to you, okay?"

Keitaro nodded absently, climbing to stand atop the roof beam, as Ranma jumped to the ground below. He blinked, eyes widening when a timber shot up from the earth below, directed at him. "Aaugh!" he exclaimed, panicking, and managing at the last moment to catch it by putting his palm out before him, stopping its advance. "Hey, that was easy," he reasoned, just before the beam began to fall back down. Panicking again, he nearly overbalanced in his attempt to catch it, but he kept it from falling off the roof.

Ranma hopped back up and examined it. "It's a few centimeters too long," he said, eyeing the old support and the length of the new segment.

"Easily adjusted," Motoko reasoned, her sword flashing. The ends of the beam fell off, Keitaro scrabbling to catch the new end again, though it was sized and shaped appropriately.

"Nice," Ranma said admiringly, checking the area where it would abut against the main support beam. "Now all we need to do is get this into place."

Naru obligingly took the length from Keitaro and wedged it in next to the old one, a judicious palm-strike shattering the rotten support and leaving the replacement positioned almost perfectly. Ranma's eyebrow rose slightly, as he hammered it into precise position. "That was good," he congratulated the girl. She blushed, nodding and wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"It's easy enough, if you know the trick," she said demurely. "Can't you do it?"

"I was afraid I'd break the wood," he admitted, securing it into its new home with a few nails. "You've got nice control. Kanrinin, while I fix the siding here, can you tear out this insulation?"

Sighing, Keitaro nodded, quickly donning gloves and doing as Ranma instructed. In short order, the insulation around the rotten timber was replaced. Suu and Mitsune, recovered from their break, resumed leading the way, as the others swiftly replaced the tiles again.

XXX

Towards the middle of the afternoon, as their collective strength began to flag, reinforcements arrived in the form of Shinobu. The girl climbed to the roof carefully, bearing a tray covered with glasses of lemonade. "Hello," she greeted timidly. "I asked Haruka-san if I could help, and she said you'd be thirsty. You're doing a great job!" she encouraged, looking at the completed expanse of rooftop and the segments still remaining.

"Let's take a break," Ranma managed, smiling slightly. The rest of the crew nodded eagerly, gratefully accepting the offered beverage.

"Ah, this is perfect, Shinobu-chan," Keitaro encouraged, draining his glass quickly. "Just the thing!"

The others offered their own tired thanks, before Shinobu took the empty collection of glasses down from the roof. "Just tile from here on," Ranma reasoned, staggering to his feet and shaking his head. "Whenever you guys are ready."

"How about never," Naru groaned, climbing upright. "I'm going to be glad when this is over."

"Tell me about it," Mitsune sighed, following Suu's path of destruction across the old tiles.

"I..." Ranma began, but then sighed, shaking his head. "Okay, then."

They resumed their work, racing against the setting sun. As they worked together, their speed increased slightly, until they were working on the final segment of roof.

"Ten minutes to go," Keitaro gasped, Suu and Mitsune already done removing bad tiles, and laying in a heap on the newly replaced roofing.

"Weak man," Motoko grumped. "I could do this for another day!"

"Speak for yourself," Naru groaned, putting the last tile in place and collapsing to sit next to Mitsune.

Motoko smiled softly, applying the caulk under the edges of the tile, then moving to join the fallen members of the repair crew. Keitaro shook his head, saying nothing, as Ranma carefully hammered the nails into place. Not once had he struck Keitaro in the process, though the nails seemed to shoot into place after a single strike.

"Done," Keitaro and Ranma announced together, as the last tile was set.

"Ugh, I just hope the girls let us use the baths sometime tonight," Keitaro groaned, flopping over the peak of the roof to lie on his stomach. "Nice... shiny... roof."

"Yeah," Ranma sighed, scratching his head. "With a bit of time to spare, too," he added.

"And we don't even get paid," Mitsune grumped.

"Um ... I wanted to say ... thanks," Ranma finally managed, slumping to sit lower on the roof then Keitaro. "I don't think I could have done it alone ... but ... why did you decide to help me?"

"Because we have to stick together, us Todai hopefuls," Keitaro replied, grinning.

"Because you're trying your best for all of us," Naru said helpfully, recovering quickly from the strain of the day's work. "It's only right that we return the favor."

"Because you're fun to win with, and no one likes seeing you unhappy when you don't," Suu decided.

"Because you're cute when you're lifting heavy objects," Mitsune added, winking. "And it was the right thing to do."

"Because we all try to help each other," Shinobu said from the edge of the roof, where she had just climbed up.

"Because I begin to see things I denied myself before," Motoko murmured.

"Hinata-Sou is like a family, sometimes," Shinobu added again, smiling at the assembled tenants. "You did a great job, and Haruka-san told me all about why you were fighting your best ... so I did my best, too. I made a big dinner for everyone - it's ready now. Please come downstairs and enjoy it. You've earned it!" The little girl bowed quietly, then climbed down the ladder, while the girls on the roof roused themselves.

"I'm going to rinse off in the baths, first," Naru announced. "Anyone else?"

"I'll go!" Mitsune exclaimed, climbing to her feet and following her, Suu trailing silently.

Keitaro stretched, groaning quietly, then shook his head. "I'm going to use the upstairs bath," he said. "Unless you want to use it first, Oe-san?"

"Go right ahead, Kanrinin," Ranma assured him. "I'm going to cool off for a little bit." The manager nodded, making his way to the ladder, and vanishing quickly.

It was silent then, Ranma sighing in relief that the job was over and luxuriating in the soft breeze that wended its way across the rooftop.

"There's more to it than that, of course," Motoko said quietly.

Ranma stiffened, his eyes widening as he realized she hadn't left yet. "What ... do you mean?" he asked, turning to look at her, framed in the light of the setting sun.

Motoko looked away, her profile cleanly silhouetted, and pursed her lips. "I don't think ... I ... truly ever gave you the respect you deserved ... and it occurs to me that much of this work..." She trailed off and swallowed, turning to face him, as the sun finally passed below the horizon, and her face came into view again. "Much of what we had to do was also my fault. It was ... careless of me to start the fight with you that I did. The one ... that damaged the place enough to need these repairs."

"Oh," he said quietly. "I ... wasn't..." He struggled for a moment, then sighed, shaking his head. "Motoko-chan, I'm the farthest thing from perfect in the world - I screwed up, too. I think ... that fight we had ... the one we called a stalemate ... I think I'm glad it was like that, because I think ... we both were responsible."

"You become wiser ... or at least know how to sound it," Motoko laughed, sinking to sit on the rooftop.

"Thanks." They were quiet for a moment, watching the first stars come out. "Why the change of clothes?"

Motoko laughed quietly again - almost a giggle. "I ... wanted to find something that was not so demeaning as my sister suggested ... but still comfortable."

"Sounds reasonable to me - you should try sparring in an outfit like that. It may be easier for you to move in."

"Really?" Motoko's tone of voice was evaluating. "I'll consider it."

He nodded into the darkness, his eyes beginning to adjust to the change. "Well, Taiso's still waiting. I should talk to him, I guess. We did finish, after all."

Motoko nodded back at him, and he walked across the rooftop, hopping down to land at the edge of the pool of light cast by the construction lamp that Taiso had set up across the field of workers. They had broken up into groups of five or so, playing cards with one-another. "So," Ranma began, grinning, "we made it."

"Looks like the sun's set, to me," Taiso countered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What?" Ranma exclaimed. "We finished before then - we were just cooling off after the work was done."

"'We,' you say?" Taiso asked, one eyebrow rising. His facade crumbled, and he shook his head, sighing. "Fair enough, fair enough. The old lady came out and told us it was done - the boys could see it before the sun set... I thought for sure you would miss the section over the baths, but you got it..." He shrugged. "You know, kid, you could have been something great."

"What do you mean?" Ranma asked, furrowing his brow.

"What do you care, it's the insurance company's money, not yours, right?" he asked. "But ... I can see where you're coming from. You gotta take care of your little sister, and she lives here. And more than that, you want to look out for your girlfriend, there." He nodded at Motoko, who stiffened, blushing silently. "Can't fault you for that."

Ranma's eyebrow ticked, and he nodded carefully. "Yeah," he managed, forcing a laugh. "My sister."

"Whatever it was, you proved you got heart, kid," Taiso admitted, shrugging again. "That's what matters. You're off the crew - I'll give you two weeks of severance. My boys will come back tomorrow, and we'll be done before two weeks. For real, this time."

The identical-looking men of the construction crew rose to their feet in unison, and saluted Ranma. "Good job, Oe!" they roared as one, pumping their fists into the air.

Ranma flushed faintly and took off his hardhat, bowing to the men.

XXX

After he and Motoko had returned from their respective baths and enjoyed the veritable feast that Shinobu had assembled for them, Ranma mused aloud, "I could have sworn I forgot to take care of the section over the baths."

Haruka smiled vaguely, but said nothing.

"Well, anyway, here's to a job well done!" Mitsune enthused, pouring sake for everyone at the table. "Let's drink to it!"

"Hey!" Keitaro protested, snatching cups from Suu and Shinobu, and then managing to spill the cold sake on Ranma. "You aren't old enough - oops, sorry, Oe-san."

"Ooh, Ranma, a white T-shirt?"

"Keitaro-sempai, why don't you follow me outside for a moment, I'd like to have a word with you in private..."

"Narusegawa? Huh? What? Um, oh, er, it's really okay, you- Ow, ow, ow! Haruka-basan, let go of my ear! I can go outside myself!"  


* * *

Authors notes:

Special thanks to Ginrai, Edward Simons, DB Sommer, Dracos the Dark Heretic, and all of the other Refugees that helped me revise this chapter. 


	8. Tamago and the Sea Princess

The sound of drills, hammers, saws and numerous other pieces of construction equipment rang out below the roof. Ranma ignored the noise, reclining against the tiles and basking in the morning sun. In female form, of course, as the construction crew was already present. Tamago sat on her knee, the turtle's head bobbing up and down faintly as though following the soft breeze.

She heard someone land nearby, and reached out to scratch under the turtle's chin with a fingertip. "Oe-sensei?" Motoko asked cautiously from behind her.

"Morning, Motoko-chan," she replied, glancing over her shoulder and nodding at the other girl. "Everyone ready for morning practice?"

"Ye- AUGH!" she exclaimed, as Tamago hopped off Ranma's knee and drifted past her. Motoko's eyes were wide, her hand pressed to her chest.

"You're afraid of something as harmless as a turtle?" she asked incredulously.

Motoko straightened up, and shot her a cool look. "I have my reasons," she said quietly.

Ranma opened her mouth to say something, then reconsidered it, and shook her head. "Let's go and get ready to practice," she said instead.

The two hopped down from the roof, landing before the other assembled students, though they were crowded around Shinobu, who had her back turned to them. "Are we ready to start?" she asked. Shinobu turned around, surprised, and Ranma saw what the other girl carried in her arms. "We'll jus- AUGH!"

"You're one to talk," Motoko grumbled, as Ranma trembled, wide-eyed, in fear of the mewling kitten.

* * *

Diamonds in the Rough - Chapter Seven - Tamago and the Sea Princess

Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine. That's all.

Notes: Divergences should become apparent as relevant.

* * *

"Will you let go of me?" she added, dropping Ranma from her arms to the dirt. The redhead bounced onto the ground at the same time the kitten leapt free of Shinobu's hands and dashed away.

"Oooh, Ranmas like Motokos," Suu observed. "Now I can create a breeding program!"

Motoko shot the girl a look of consternation, then turned her attention back to Ranma. "Oe-sensei?"

"It's gone?" Ranma asked, still shaking nervously.

"Yes, Oe-sensei," Shinobu replied, frowning. "What's wrong?"

"Noth..." she trailed off, sighing. "I had a bad experience with ... cats when I was young." Clearing her throat, she shook her head. "Anyway, as long as we're all ready..." She glanced around furtively. "You're sure it's gone?"

"It's gone, Oe-san," Keitaro confirmed, frowning slightly, while Suu began to smile.

"New experiment! How does a Ranma react to cats!" she exclaimed. "Must test!"

"Um ... no, that would be a bad idea," Ranma insisted, shaking her head. "A really bad one. Anyway, on with today's lesson."

XXX

In Naru's room, once the morning practice session was complete, the three Todai hopefuls concentrated on their studying. "I don't think I've been invited here to study before," Keitaro mused quietly.

Naru shook her head, her back to both Keitaro and Ranma. The martial artist was currently in cursed form, as the construction crew assumed that her 'brother' had vanished. While Keitaro turned around and examined some of Naru's books, the girl was busy making tea for the others. "The weather sure has started to turn," she remarked.

Ranma nodded absently, glancing at her, then Keitaro, then scribbling some notes in her notebook.

"Ah!" Keitaro exclaimed, picking up a nearby book. "A photo album!"

Naru made a startled noise, as Keitaro flipped it open, examining some of the pictures. "Don't look through that!" she exclaimed.

"I'm just going to look a little bit," he replied, flipping through the images. "Ah! Here's our vacation with Otohime-chan!"

Ranma glanced over, raised an eyebrow, then turned her attention back to her notebook.

"Oh ... fine," Naru grumped, setting the tea service on the table. "Here's a picture of myself in middle-school..."

"You were cute!" Keitaro exclaimed.

"I suppose..." she mused.

XXX

Ranma chuckled as she followed the turtle out to the courtyard, waving to Mitsune and Haruka in passing. The construction crew carefully avoided her, courtesy of the rumor that she was dating Keitaro, and that her 'brother' would beat up anyone who touched her. It was better than some methods of negotiating the curse.

Still...

The turtle paused, looking back at her, then made a cheerful chirp and waved.

"You sure?" Ranma asked, raising an eyebrow. "I wouldn't mind wandering for a bit - all this studying makes me feel cooped up."

The turtle cocked its head to one side, as though considering, then nodded and motioned for Ranma to follow.

It wasn't exactly speedy, but the turtle was able to set a pace, ambling down the steps one at a time. "No more flying?" she asked, stretching and admiring the view from the top of the stairs before she followed.

The turtle shook its head, and Ranma shrugged, trudging after.

XXX

As the day wore on, Keitaro pushed his study guide away. No progress had been made. On the one hand, the information he was trying to pay attention to kept fading into the back of his mind as he considered Naru. On the other hand, any attempt to broach the subject of them as a couple was met with a reminder about what he needed to study.

Net result, of course, being no progress. On _either_ front.

He groaned, falling onto his back and staring at the ceiling. "I'm going to take a break," he muttered.

Naru nodded and yawned quietly. "Too much studying," she agreed.

"Hmm," he mused, seeing the photograph album she had left out. "Now that I think of it ... do you ever suppose we'll see Mutsumi again?"

Naru made a thoughtful noise and pulled the book to her side, flipping quickly to the picture with Mutsumi in it. "It could happen," she said slowly. "I mean, she might decide to retest."

"That's true," Keitaro admitted, daydreaming back to when he'd first met Mutsumi. He shook his head, dismissing an image of Mutsumi kissing him, at the sound of Naru's voice. "Sorry, what was that?"

"I think it's about time to get back to studying," Naru said pointedly. "You've been staring at the ceiling for several minutes now. What are you thinking?"

"Just remembering Mutsumi," he offered, smiling sheepishly.

"Let's hope you remember your study questions half as well," she muttered.

XXX

Tiptoeing along behind the turtle was a bit of a challenge. With the turtle's weight being less than her own, and its own relatively small size, it could cross the wires strung between storefronts easily. Ranma needed to exercise a bit more care than that.

Her skill would let her distribute her weight carefully enough that she could do it, but her speed was reduced to only that of ... the turtle, really. It would be faster to hop from rooftop to rooftop, but the turtle was leading the way. Tamago stopped at the building's edge and turned to look back at Ranma.

She shrugged carefully, gently testing the wire that crossed the two buildings. It was only three stories down if she fell, but that wasn't the point of the game. The wire was sturdy, probably new. She carefully plodded along, until she stepped off the wire, next to the turtle. "Awesome," she said, grinning. "Where to next?"

The turtle looked around, then sniffed at the air for a moment before chirping again, and working its way across the flat roof.

Ranma quickly surveyed her surroundings. The buildings all appeared to be storefronts with flattened roofs, except for a nearby train depot. The rails headed west, well outside of the city. "Oh, this is the main hub for the city," Ranma realized, glancing back, only just able to see the hilltop that Hinata-Sou sat atop. The turtles adventurous wandering had led across most of the city, though it never ventured far from sight of the inn. "I guess this is where people from out of town will get in ... you looking for someone there?"

The turtle nodded eagerly, then flung itself from the rooftop, gliding quickly towards the depot.

"That's more like it!" Ranma cheered, vaulting off after the creature. She rebounded from a light pole, and landed before the lobby to the building, barely beating Tamago there. The turtle landed on her shoulder and chirped gratefully.

Once on the ground, Ranma stretched, looking around with mild surprise. The entire area was nearly deserted, only a handful of people walking by. "So, who are you looking for?" she asked the turtle curiously.

It made another chirp, and pointed at a young woman who was crossing the terminal, struggling with the weight of her baggage. Ranma shrugged and approached curiously. How to introduce herself to the girl? "What should I do, just go up to her and say, 'Hi, my name is Ranma, and I just thought I'd ask you who you were. This turtle seems to know you, and by the way, I'm really a guy?'" Ranma shook her head, grimacing, and muttered, "That won't help."

The point was moot - as she approached, the young woman looked up, smiled pleasantly, and then clapped her hands together. "There you are!"  
she exclaimed cheerfully. Tamago flew away from Ranma's shoulder, and drifted to the newcomer's. "How have you been?"

The turtle chirped excitedly for a long minute, while the girl nodded attentively.

"Wow," she said after a moment. She then looked up, and smiled all over again. "Hello, there," she said amiably. "I'm Otohime Mutsumi!"

Ranma nodded, remembering when she'd seen her picture in Naru's room. "Nice to meet you," she replied, smiling back. This girl radiated a sense of tranquility and peace that Ranma found soothing. Her expression was calm, and her smile spoke of near permanence. Tamago reached up from her shoulder and brushed back her straw hat, granting Ranma a nice view of her long, dark hair, braided loosely. While Mutsumi retrieved her hat, Ranma realized she had been staring. "Um ... sorry, my name is Oe Ranma."

Mutsumi nodded, holding her hat in her hands. "Have you been taking care of Tamago?"

"Me? Well ... not really. Keitaro takes care of her." Ranma scratched her head, frowning, then brightened. "Would you like some help carrying your bags?"

"Oh, that would be wonderful," Mutsumi replied, bowing slightly. Ranma nodded and hefted the larger of the bags, leaving Mutsumi to carry what looked like a sack made of net, though it only had a watermelon in it. "Do you like training in martial arts?"

"Eh?" Ranma managed, blinking. How had she known? A good martial artist could read another martial artist even outside of combat. But she didn't move much like someone who practiced. Maybe she knew another martial artist well enough to see the differences? "Yeah, actually," she managed. "How did you know?"

"Oh, I just guessed," Mutsumi giggled, while Tamago raised her head, as though whispering into her ear. "Oh, my. You certainly are in good shape - how long have you had your bicycle?"

Ranma nearly tripped over her own feet, then shook her head and stared Tamago squarely in the eye. "Did you get stuck in your cursed form, somehow?" she asked the turtle.

Tamago shook her head quickly.

"Oh, Tamago doesn't have a curse like you do," Mutsumi explained. "She's just a very smart turtle."

Ranma said nothing for a moment, eyeing Mutsumi thoughtfully. "You can understand what the turtle says?" she finally asked.

"Oh, of course not, that would be silly!" the young woman giggled.

"Just like a curse would be?" Ranma asked.

"Exactly."

"...right," Ranma finally managed, shaking her head. "Where do you need to take these?"

"Oh! I rented a room in this town, somewhere. You certainly are kind to take care of someone you don't even know, Oe-kun."

Ranma shrugged her shoulders, smiling weakly. "Aniki tried to teach me to look out for other people," she finally managed. "Where to?"

Mutsumi produced a map from a skirt pocket and studied it thoughtfully for a moment before she gave a confident nod. "This way," she explained, motioning Ranma to follow.

Ranma pursed her lips together carefully, studying Mutsumi as she led the way down the street. She seemed to know where she was going, so Ranma remained silent, studying the way she moved. It only took Ranma a moment to realize that Mutsumi likely had poor health - the aura of life energy all living things generated seemed ... subdued from her. Weakened.

She needed to pause to catch her breath every so often, though Ranma could see she didn't look like she was willing to rest. That was easily solved, as the redhead 'accidentally' untied a shoelace and called Mutsumi to a halt while fixing it. Which also, coincidentally, took long enough for Mutsumi to recover and let the flush of exertion fade from her cheeks.

But her body was a healthy mix of decently toned muscles. She had nothing on Haruka or Ranma - or even on Naru and Shinobu - but she certainly wasn't out of shape, which Ranma had seen from time to time in other people. There was just something that made her weak, whatever it was.

Eventually, the girl pointed at a two-story building. "That's my apartment!" she said cheerfully.

"Looks nice," Ranma allowed, a vague sense of uneasy familiarity from the area prickling about her shoulders. "Should we go in?"

"Oh, right!"

Mutsumi led him into the apartment, where he set down her packages. Mutsumi perused the room, examining the features, and nodding happily. "This is wonderful!" she cheered. "My packages already arrived!"

Ranma glanced into the corner, where a short stack of watermelons sat. "Er ... well, one package, anyway," she said, nodding. "Does the apartment have any hot water yet?"

She checked the faucet, then nodded happily. Ranma splashed her - now him - self, and studied Mutsumi for a reaction, curious.

The turtle nodded knowingly, and Mutsumi herself seemed a bit startled, but not nearly as much as Ranma would have expected. "That was interesting," she said after a moment, her smile quickly overcoming her surprise. "But I need to thank you for helping me carry my things here."

"Oh, really, it's fine," Ranma said dismissively, shaking his head and pulling his notebook from his pocket. Writing quickly, he mumbled, "'Humans can learn to speak turtle.'" Looking up, he asked, "You want to meet with Urashima and Narusegawa?"

"Well, that would be nice, but I need to thank you first," Mutsumi insisted. She brightened suddenly. "Oh, I know! Why don't you let me buy you a drink?"

"I, ah ... don't usually drink," Ranma said uneasily.

"I insist!" Mutsumi pressed, taking his hand and smiling. "We can go with Naru-chan and Kei-kun, and catch up on old times!"

Ranma blinked in confusion. "Uh ... what old times?"

"Oh, I thought that Tamago said you spent a lot of time with them," Mutsumi explained. "You don't?"

"Well, I do, actually," Ranma admitted. "Sometimes we study together. I teach Urashima martial arts. Um... Anyway, I suppose we could go back to the inn and get them if you really want to go out somewhere."

"Oh, I do!" Mutsumi cheered, nodding. "Where do you live?"

Ranma considered it, trying to mentally retrace his footsteps since leaving the inn. The train depot wasn't a good landmark, as he'd never been there before - he'd ridden his bike into the area, after all. While he pondered, Mutsumi crossed the room and opened the window.

"Ooh, what a lovely view," she said in admiration.

Breaking off his mental re-mapping, which had broken down at some point when he and Tamago had turned cartwheels over a clothesline strung between balcony railings on five story buildings, he looked up. The hillside before him was covered in trees, the actual earth obscured behind a heavy cloak of leaves. A sign sat unobtrusively in the distance and Ranma approached the window to study it curiously.

"I hear that the rent here is cheaper, because it's right next to a dormitory filled with dangerous people - there's always explosions and noise coming from it," Mutsumi supplied helpfully. "But I don't mind. I think it's kind of exciting!"

"'...female dormitory,'" Ranma read aloud, massaging his eyebrow as it began to tic. "Boy, I wish that sign had been up when I first got here."

"Oh, do you know this place?" Mutsumi asked, turning to regard him curiously.

"Yeah." Ranma shook his head. "That's where Urashima and Narusegawa live, Otohime."

"Then we can go and drink!" Mutsumi cheered. "Lead the way, Ranma-kun!"

"Er ... okay." Sighing, he looked up as Tamago drifted over to pat him on the head before returning to Mutsumi's shoulder. "This way, Otohime."

She followed dutifully for the entire sixty-yard treck to the base of the stairs leading up to the inn. Keitaro and Naru - along with the other assembled tenants - met them there, the entire gang skidding to an awkward halt to stare in confusion.

"Tamago?" Keitaro asked. "Oh! Otohime-chan!"

"Wait! It's Mutsumi!" Naru gasped, smiling brightly, while everyone else but Keitaro blinked in confusion.

Mutsumi roused suddenly, as though she had been about to doze off, then looked between Keitaro and Naru. "I'm sorry," she said slowly, smiling. "I'm looking for two friends of mine, Keitaro and Naru. Do you know where they are?"

"Auuugh!" Shinobu made a dive to grab Keitaro's shirt before he could pitch forward and fall on his face, and saved the manager a clumsy meeting with the ground until he could recover his senses. "Sempai?" she asked tremulously. "What's going on?"

Naru had merely stumbled backwards, into Mitsune, before she shook off her confusion. "Otohime-chan? Don't you remember us?"

"Oh! Right!" Mutsumi enthused, clapping her hands together. "I had forgotten, since it's been so long!"

"Could someone explain what's going on here?" Motoko managed, glancing at Tamago with a mixture of concern and relief.

"We thought that Tamago had run off before we could have our final confrontation," Suu supplied, eyeing the turtle suspiciously.

"Well, I remembered that Oe-san was with her, so I wasn't too worried ... but after a few hours I started to think it might be a good idea to look for her," Keitaro offered, chuckling weakly. "For a moment, I thought she'd run off to go into the sea."

"Well, she went down to the beach for a bit," Ranma said, scratching his head. "I think that was before the zoo and after the aquarium. Probably to play around after running through the car wash. The little critter sure gets around." He glanced between Naru and Keitaro and asked, "You thought she was going to run off for good?"

Naru nodded, holding up a pamphlet. "It says here that when a turtle stops flying, they're ready to mature," she said, pointing to a picture of a turtle assaulting what looked like the Japanese Self Defense Force.

"Turn the page," Ranma suggested.

Naru did so, and then blushed darkly. "Oh," she said quietly. "It says here it takes fifty years."

"Well, now that that's all settled, why don't we go out and talk about old times?" Mutsumi asked, clapping her hands together. Tamago nodded enthusiastically from her shoulder.

"Well," Mitsune finally managed. "You three ... seem to know one another, so we'll get out of your way, then."

Ranma nodded, and moved to walk up the stairs, but was halted by a tugging at the back of his shirt. Mutsumi tried to slow him down, but wasn't expecting as much resistance as Ranma ended up putting out, no matter how inadvertently. The end result was that he turned around, curious, and Mutsumi fell into him. He caught her easily, while her head lolled to one side and her eyes took on a vacant cast.

"Hey," he said, frowning. "Hey!" Shaking his head, he fumbled for a moment, grabbing her wrist and feeling for a pulse. "Her heart's stopped," he said clinically, while his own heart began racing.

XXX

Naru and Keitaro watched, alarmed, while gasps told him the rest of the tenants hadn't yet cleared hearing range. Shaking his head, Ranma crouched, laying Mutsumi on the ground, and put his hands on her sternum, below the swell of her bosom.

"Oe-san?" Keitaro asked worriedly.

"A minute, Kanrinin," he said tersely, as an aura of something began to radiate from him. His entire body shimmered for a second, and was then enveloped in a wavering aura. Tendrils of white and gold flame crept into the wavering field about him, seeming to concentrate on his hands while he closed his eyes.

Motoko stiffened and stumbled down a few steps to watch. "I don't believe it," she murmured. "I never thought..."

Flickers of green and black shot through the aura, chased by white specks. The gold and white gathered at his hands, while everything else wandered across his body seemingly at random. Faintly, at first, and then more brightly, Mutsumi began to pick up the periphery of the glow, white and gold flickering about over her own body.

After only a few seconds, Ranma staggered back, and let the light show vanish. "Ugh," he groaned, rubbing his forehead. "I think I saved her."

"Oe-kun?" Mutsumi asked, looking around in confusion as she sat up. "What was that?"

"Your ki is blocked, for some reason," Ranma offered, along with a weak smile.

"That can be deadly," Motoko said quietly.

"I was taught well," Ranma shot back, frowning.

"By who?"

"Your sister."

Motoko stilled, looking away, then nodded. "Be careful, Oe-san," she whispered, before retreating up the stairs.

"More things to investigate!" Suu cheered. "So, martial arts aren't always purely destructive. This is interesting, too." She also clambered up the stairs, though Keitaro guessed it was for different reasons.

Blinking away their shock, Mitsune and Shinobu also departed, leaving Ranma with Mutsumi, Keitaro, and Narusegawa. "Anyway," Ranma sighed. "I'll let you three chat-"

"Oh, no!" Mutsumi insisted, shaking her head. "I owe you something for helping me."

"For what? The ki thing?" Ranma shook his head back, smirking. "That's my duty, the way I see it."

"I'm not sure what that is, but I meant for carrying my bags for me," she countered.

"...oh," Ranma finally managed in a small voice. "Um ... if you insist."

"Ah ... Oe-san," Keitaro finally managed. "Um ... you ... don't need to worry. Otohime-chan is ... she sometimes has fits like that."

"She gets better on her own," Naru supplied.

"Sometimes," Mutsumi added, nodding.

Keitaro and Naru stared at her for a moment. "Anyway," Keitaro finally managed, shaking his head. "Where do you want to go, Mutsumi-chan?"

"Well, do you know of any places around here that are good?" she asked thoughtfully.

"Yeah, actually..."

XXX

Keitaro led the group to a nearby bar, where they were given a low table in the corner. Mutsumi and Naru took one side, while Keitaro and Ranma sat at the other. Ranma shifted about uncomfortably, not sure he belonged, but Naru suspected that Ranma wasn't sure of what to do about it. She offered him what she hoped was a reassuring smile, then turned her attention to Mutsumi.

"It's good to see you again!" she told the older girl. "And it's good to see you're healthy, too."

Keitaro nodded, quickly adding, "After we saw you in Okinawa, we were afraid that we might not see you again."

Mutsumi smiled, glancing between Naru and Keitaro. "It's lucky to have good friends. Last time, you looked out for me very well, and I'm grateful for it." She turned to Ranma and her expression became more inquisitive. "Are you helping take care of Naru-chan and Keitaro-kun, Ranma-kun?"

Ranma blinked, momentarily distracted by the waiter that set drinks before each of them before backing off. "I ... guess," he said slowly. "I'm teaching Kan- Uh, Urashima-san some martial arts, but he's already pretty sturdy." He frowned and sipped at his drink, making a face at it.

"Actually," Keitaro supplied, when Ranma lapsed into silence, "Oe-san's been helping out a lot - he was part of the construction crew that put the inn back together."

"Really?" Mutsumi asked, turning to look at Naru.

She nodded, sipping at her own drink. "They're not done yet, but Oe-san made them stop playing around and being lazy," she offered. "Anyway, Mutsumi-chan, what brings you all the way here?"

"Oh, that's easy!" Mutsumi exclaimed, just before draining her glass. She signaled the waiter for another round, then said, "To drink with my friends!"

Keitaro glanced at Ranma, who was staring between Mutsumi's empty glass, and his own, only sipped at drink. "Um, I think Naru meant to ask why you were here in the city, Mutsumi-chan," he offered.

"Ooh." Mutsumi made a thoughtful noise, while the waiter served the second round out. Sipping at her new drink, she pondered for a moment. Setting her glass down, she asked, "Why am I here?" She glanced between Ranma and Tamago, who was resting on her shoulder. "Do you know?"

The martial artist and the turtle both shook their heads.

"You ... don't know why you're here?" Naru finally managed.

"Hmm," Mutsumi mused, pulling a slip of paper from one pocket after draining her second glass. "Ah! This looks like an exam ticket! I must be here to test for Todai again!"

Keitaro stared blankly, while a waiter set yet another glass before Mutsumi.

Sipping from the glass and then setting it down, Mutsumi asked, "What are you going to do about Todai, Keitaro-kun? Are you still trying to get in?"

"Yes," he finally managed, staring at Mutsumi. "Um ... you sure can hold your alcohol."

"I like to drink!"

"It looks easy enough," Ranma said, eyeing Mutsumi's collection of empty glasses. "Heck, I could probably do that." Signaling the waiter to pour him a third drink, Ranma quickly downed his first two, and then chased them with the third when the waiter brought it by. He stared around for a moment, then nodded. "I thought I could do it." Shaking his head slightly, he turned his attention to Mutsumi. "So you moved into the area just for the test?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed happily. "I think I will do it, this year." Her look turned from joy to concern, and she turned her attention back to Keitaro. "But, Keitaro-kun, are you sure you should try again? With your intelligence level?"

"Hey! I got a hundred!" Keitaro complained, producing his test result from a pocket.

"Oh, my, you got all hundred questions wrong?" Mutsumi asked, blinking in surprise.

"Just like me?" Naru mumbled.

"Wait, what?" Keitaro asked, turning to Naru.

"'snot as easy as it looks," Ranma slurred suddenly. "G'night!" He collapsed face-first onto the table, distracting Keitaro.

"Oe-san? Oh. I guess this is why he said he doesn't drink," Keitaro reasoned, putting his test result away.

"Why would he drink if he knew this would happen?" Naru asked, leaning forward to study the not-quite-snoring man slumped across the table.

"Oh, I just wanted to thank him for helping me carry my baggage," Mutsumi explained. "Ranma-kun, are you okay?"

"Five more minutes," he mumbled. "I swear the waffles are good."

Keitaro shook his head, then turned to Mutsumi. "Anyway, it doesn't matter if I did badly before, we're all retakers here, aren't we?" he asked, stealing a glance at Naru.

She blushed bright red and ducked her head, sipping at her own drink to mask it.

"I'm not!" Ranma announced suddenly, sitting upright as though mounted on a spring. "I failed high school, and only finished catching up just before... Can't ... feel ... my legs..." With that, he collapsed again, his face slamming into the table.

Mutsumi blinked, eyes widening slightly. "Ah! Is Ranma-kun taking the test with us?" she asked.

Keitaro nodded, glancing at the man worriedly. "Er ... yes. Sometimes he studies with Naru and I."

"Ooh!" Mutsumi cooed, clapping her hands together. "So you two have become closer?"

"What do you mean?" Naru asked unsteadily, her face still red.

Tamago chirped quietly into Mutsumi's ear.

"Really?" Mutsumi asked. "You two study together almost every day?"

"Ah ... sometimes Oe-san is with us," Keitaro said quickly.

"Four of us together, then!" Mutsumi cheered. "We can make it this year for sure!" She raised her glass in a salute, which Naru and Keitaro hesitantly accepted. Ranma merely lay as if dead. "Ranma-kun, don't you agree?"

He sat up, eyes bleary, and glanced around. "Together?" he managed. "Yes! Together! Allegiance or death! Bigfire!"

Naru rolled her eyes. "This isn't an anime, Oe-san. I think you've had too much to drink," she criticized.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, wobbling unsteadily. "Well, that may be true, but ... uh ... but..." He frowned for a moment, then furrowed his brow in concentration. "Okay, hang on." For a moment it seemed like he would collapse again before he righted himself. "I can do this," he muttered, seconds before an aura of blue flame leapt up from around him, flooding the room with light. Some of the patrons looked at the spectacle in worry, and then eyed their drinks, while the other half elected not to notice.

"A light show!" Mutsumi exclaimed, clapping her hands together excitedly. "That's beautiful, Ranma-kun! Can you do any other tricks?"

"Not right now," he croaked, as the light faded. The waiter approached cautiously, and Ranma pleaded, "Water ... please ... a dying man's last request." Nodding dubiously, the waiter went off to retrieve what Ranma had requested.

"Oe-san?" Keitaro asked cautiously. "Are you okay?"

"I'm a bit hung over," he said matter-of-factly.

Nodding, Keitaro asked, "How did you do that?"

"Trick I picked up from my wife," he groaned. "Just after she taught me how to track." He brushed a hand through his hair, tugging at his bandana, then opened one eye and glanced across the table. "Wait. Did I say that aloud? Damn, my head hurts."

Keitaro and Naru blinked in stunned shock.

"You'll live," Mutsumi assured the martial artist.

"Dunno if I want to," he moaned, sighing in relief when the waiter presented him with a pitcher of water, and an empty glass. "Stupid intentional low alcohol tolerance ... stupid drunken boxing." He sipped at his water, relaxing somewhat. "What was that about a toast?"

"Ah, I was thinking we should all drink to getting into Todai next year," Mutsumi explained.

Ranma eyed his glass of water, then nodded. "I'll drink to that," he agreed.

As one, the four Todai hopefuls raised their drinks. "To Todai!"

After draining their glasses, Mutsumi climbed to her feet. "Well, it was lovely meeting with you again - but I should really be getting back to my place so I can unpack my things," she said.

"Leaving so soon?" Naru asked, raising an eyebrow. "You can stay a bit longer, can't you?"

"Well, it is starting to get a bit late," Mutsumi deferred, smiling. She leaned over and patted Ranma on the head. "Really, Ranma-kun, you need to be careful about how much you drink," she chastised him, as he pressed a hand to his forehead.

"Yeah, but you made it look so easy!" he protested, wincing again. "And it really seemed like a good idea." He shifted his position uncomfortably, then ducked his head and looked away. "You know. At the time."

Mutsumi giggled, and Ranma climbed to his feet. "Anyway," he said, shaking his head. "Why don't you let me walk you home?"

"Ah, why not let all of us go with you?" Keitaro quickly added, smiling hopefully. "It would be a shame to run into you again, and then never be able to see you again."

"Oh, well ... if you insist," Mutsumi said, yawning. "You take such good care of me."

Naru nodded, smiling at the other girl. "It's the least we can do," she insisted cheerfully.

XXX

After the bill was settled, they left the bar. Mutsumi was carried on Keitaro's back, as Ranma was still weakened from his ordeal. "She's tired," Naru observed, smiling.

Keitaro nodded dubiously, tying not to pay too much attention to the girl's weight pressing into him from behind. "Well, now we just need to figure out where she lives," he reasoned.

"I know the way," Ranma said, glancing at Mutsumi for a moment. Tamago nodded dutifully from atop Ranma's head.

"Er ... why don't you lead, then?" Keitaro suggested.

"Sure thing, Kanrinin," he replied, striding forward, looking at the ground closely.

"Is something wrong?" Naru asked, watching the way that Ranma bowed his head.

"Just tracking our footprints until I get my bearings," he said.

"You can track across pavement?" Naru asked, surprised.

"And through raining forests - never would have found Motoko-chan otherwise, unless it was dumb luck," he dismissed. "I got it. This way." He marched onward, Naru and Keitaro following behind.

"It's a nice evening," Keitaro finally said, to break the monotony.

"It's not raining," Ranma agreed.

Keitaro snorted, shaking his head. "Not a big fan of rain?"

"For obvious reasons," Naru muttered. "Really, Keitaro, is your attention span that short?"

"Huh?" he asked blankly. "What are you talking about?"

Ranma winced, shaking his head. "We're here," he announced quietly.

Naru and Keitaro had drawn to a halt, and Keitaro offered a nervous laugh. "Sorry, sorry," he said, bowing his head to Naru, then trying to cast a backwards glance to Mutsumi.

"Something funny?" Naru asked, raising an eyebrow as Keitaro's face reddened.

"Nothing, nothing at all," he said quickly.

"Oh, so you think Mutsumi's chest is better than mine?"

"Well, yeah, I did notice- I never said anything like that!" Keitaro protested indignantly.

"What does it matter, really?" Ranma asked suddenly. "A curse-" As though on cue, a sprinkler system started up, splashing him and causing him to switch genders. She sighed, pulling her shirt away from her chest. "A curse kind of makes things like that arbitrary."

"Ah, Oe-san," Mutsumi murmured quietly. "They argue just like a married couple. It was cute."

"It's not like that!" Keitaro and Naru exclaimed in unison. "We're not at all alike!" Stomping their feet, they yelled at one another, "Stop talking like me!"

"Oh!" Mutsumi exclaimed more loudly, as Keitaro knelt to let her regain her own footing. "This is where I live!"

Ranma nodded stretching her arms over her head. "Yup!" she said, yawning slightly.

"Do you know the way back to your home from here, Ranma-kun?" Mutsumi asked worriedly.

In response, Ranma pointed wordlessly at a nearby sign.

"'...female dormitory,'" Keitaro observed aloud, massaging his eyebrow as it began to tic. "Boy, I wish that sign had been up when I first got here."

"I know exactly what you mean," Ranma said dryly. Turning to Mutsumi, he explained, "I stay at the same inn as they do."

Mutsumi nodded in understanding, beaming a smile at him.

"Wow," Naru managed, smiling. "You live right across the street! Maybe we can get together to study, sometimes."

"That would be wonderful!" Mutsumi enthused.

Ranma knuckled back a yawn. "But right now it's late, and burning that much alcohol out of my system leaves me a bit drained," she said. "Let's go back home."

"Okay!" Mutsumi said cheerfully, waving goodbye. "Maybe we'll meet again tomorrow?"

"With any luck," Ranma agreed, nodding.

Keitaro nodded his agreement as well, then turned towards the stairs leading to the Hinata-Sou. "That was nice," he said after a moment, climbing the steps. "I didn't think we'd run into Mutsumi again."

"It's certainly more fun than having Tamago run away," Naru allowed.

Ranma nodded again, stifling another yawn. Mitsune greeted her at the door, the young woman clearly excited about something. "Ranma! Guess what you got in the mail!"

"A bill?" she asked, making a face.

Keitaro and Naru watched expectantly.

"No!" Mitsune shook her head, sighing in exasperation. "You got some packages - three of them! Open them up, quick, I want to see what's inside."

"Packages?" Ranma frowned, then brightened. "Oh, right. Aniki sent my stuff to me. It's not important, Kitsune. I'll open them tomorrow. Right now I want to go to bed."

"You can't!" Suu cheered, flying into the room from the hallway and tackling Ranma to the floor. "Your room isn't ready yet."

"It was ready when I left," the redhead muttered.

"I'm fixing it," Suu explained steadfastly. "So you have to wait."

"Ooh?" Mitsune noised. "Sounds like a perfect chance to open some packages, to me."

Ranma shook her head, yawning, and climbed to her feet as Suu scampered to the room that should have belonged to the redhead. "It can wait until I have a place to put my things," she said dryly. "For now, it looks like I get some time to study. Like, the rest of the night."

Keitaro nodded thoughtfully. "Good luck with that, Oe-san. I'm going to get some sleep," he finally said, trudging to his room. As he retreated down the hallway, he heard Mitsune offer to help Ranma study, and shook his head.

XXX

The light of dawn creeping through the window managed to awaken Shinobu before her alarm clock could do so. She fumbled with it for a moment before she blinked, then nodded at it and climbed out of bed. Mornings were always such a pain. And it was a Sunday anyway, so she didn't need to worry about school, but at the same time... Chores needed to be done, and sleeping in could easily become a bad habit.

After all, she reflected, some days Keitaro and Naru pulled all-nighters for studying. Yawning, she gathered her bathing supplies and crept down to the baths. Someone had cleaned them, and they were still ready for use.

Once she had finished washing up and brushed her teeth, she pulled on her day clothing - Ranma had mentioned that they wouldn't be training every day, and today was a day they wouldn't need to practice. Except for Motoko, but Shinobu knew that Motoko was leagues beyond everyone else except for Ranma anyway.

She ran through the day's chores in her head as she wandered through the main room and paused, frowning. Ranma was sitting on the very edge of the couch, blearily flipping through a study guide. Mitsune was stretched out across the parts of the couch that Ranma wasn't using, sleeping soundly.

Ranma glanced up at Shinobu and nodded, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Good morning," Shinobu greeted the redhead. "Did you study here all night?"

"I don't have a table in my room, and Suu's ... doing something in there," Ranma said, shrugging.

Shinobu nodded, while Mitsune stretched in her sleep, and turned to one side, incidentally grabbing Ranma's leg and snuggling close to it. She raised her head after a moment, yawning, and released Ranma. "It's morning already?" Mitsune asked, sitting up and stretching.

"Looks like," Ranma said, closing her study guide and pulling her notebook from behind her. "Hopefully Suu doesn't take too much longer."

Mitsune brightened and nodded towards some packages sitting on the floor. "We can see what you got, then, right?"

"Not until I at least have a place to put them." Ranma yawned tiredly, and shook her head. "What is she doing, anyway?"

Suu bounced into the room at that moment, skidding to a halt and hopping into Ranma's lap. "It's ready!" she cheered.

"Oh, good," Ranma mumbled, standing up, while Suu slipped onto the couch and picked up her discarded study guide. "I'll check my packages when I wake up. For now, I just want to get some sleep."

"Phooey," Mitsune grumped, while Keitaro came down the stairs, looking well rested and holding a study guide of his own. "You're no fun."

"Eh, when I wake up," Ranma dismissed, trudging down the hall to her room.

"And now those packages are going to be sitting on the floor of the main room, tempting me all day," the woman complained to Ranma's retreating form.

"Don't worry about it," Keitaro assured her. "Oe-san doesn't seem to need much sleep, so he'll probably be up soon."

"Oh, he'll never wake up fast enough for me," Mitsune continued to gripe.

A bloodcurdling scream of terror shook the entire inn just at that moment.

"Then again, I may have been wrong," Mitsune admitted.

Ranma tore down the hallway on all fours, like a thing possessed, then skidded to a halt before Keitaro, backpedaling and hissing like an enraged cat.

"Yikes!" the young man exclaimed, jumping backwards. "Oe-san? What's going on?"

"His synch rating is over four hundred percent!" Suu exclaimed, waving a small hand-held computer in one hand, a white lab coat fitting loosely about her shoulders as she dashed into the room. "He's gone berserk!"

Mitsune stared, wide-eyed, and backed away from Ranma slowly.

Swallowing, Shinobu looked around as Naru stumbled down the stairs at the noise, her toothbrush still in her mouth and sleep still in her eyes. "What's going on?" Naru managed to mumble.

"I don't know!" Shinobu protested. Her eyes widened as Ranma looked around, then sidled up to her, nuzzling against her leg like a large, redheaded cat. "Oe-san?"

Skidding down the steps behind Naru, Motoko had one hand on her sword and stared at Ranma in consternation. "Oe-sensei?" she asked worriedly. "What's going on?"

"Stop asking that question," Haruka demanded, entering the room from the kitchen and startling everyone. "And you stop acting silly right this-" Her orders were cut off when Ranma leapt in the air and dived at the woman. Haruka raised one eyebrow and launched a punch at the redhead, but the smaller girl seemed to roll in midair, slipping to the side of Haruka's strike, and then knocked the woman to the floor.

Shinobu gasped in horror as Ranma then raised one hand, fingers spread like claws ... and batted playfully at Haruka's cigarette. The entire thing frayed apart as though it had been slashed with knives, sending a small cloud of dried tobacco to drift to the floor. Ranma continued to bat at the falling pieces, until nothing remained large enough to hit, and the floor had gained a faint smudge of dust around Haruka.

That done, and distraction removed, Ranma turned her attention to Haruka again ... and curled up on the woman's lap to take a nap.

Haruka's other eyebrow rose, as she produced another unlit cigarette to replace the one that Ranma had destroyed. Cocking her head to one side, she gently petted Ranma, scratching behind one ear. "Okay," Haruka admitted, when Ranma began to purr quietly. "This is, in fact, new."

"Um ... what's going on?" Shinobu finally managed to ask.

Haruka sighed, shaking her head, and scratched Ranma behind the ear. The redhead acted like a cat would, turning her head to provide a better scratching angle while her purring grew to a muted rumble.

"I thought he was afraid of cats," Motoko reasoned. "So why would he act like one?"

"Afraid of cats?" Haruka asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, is there a cat in his room?"

"No real cats," Suu said, shaking her head. "But I made a hologram projector to test a Ranma's reaction to cats!"

"That explains a little," the older woman sighed. "Ranma's not going anywhere for a bit, and at a guess, neither am I. Keitaro, do me a favor, and see if you can get a hold of Seta?"

XXX

It took him the better part of an hour to actually run into Seta. The man was situated in his van, down by a small river a good mile off from the Hinata-Sou. Keitaro had no idea why the man was there, and even less of an idea of how he had managed to find him, but wasn't about to complain. Haruka had said to find him, so Keitaro had.

"Seta-san!" he exclaimed, skidding to a halt.

The man raised an eyebrow and adjusted his spectacles, one hand gripping a fishing rod loosely. "Oi, Keitaro," he greeted cheerfully. "What brings you here today?"

"Ah..." Momentarily struck dumb, Keitaro had to wonder how the man could be fishing so casually in the middle of the day. Didn't he have a job at the college? "Haruka-basan sent me to find you," he said, shaking his head to clear it. "Oe-san ... is acting strange."

"Strange?" Seta asked, jerking his hand backwards, sending a large trout flying up from the stream, attached to the fishing line. He expertly caught the fish in his free hand, quickly tossing it into a nearby icebox, and then packed up his fishing gear.

"He's ... um ... acting like a cat," Keitaro offered weakly. It suddenly occurred to him that Seta hadn't known about Ranma's curse. "Oh, and ... he's been turned into a girl," he added thoughtfully.

"Sounds serious," Seta said, rubbing his chin. "Well, if Haruka-chan wants me to see what I can offer, I'll try to help. Hop into the van, Keitaro - we'll drive back."

Keitaro nodded, climbing into the vehicle after Seta opened the door and buckled his seat belt. The man took a moment to shuffle some things into the van from outside - the icebox, a collapsible chair, and a dirty shovel - before he climbed into the driver's seat. Humming quietly, he turned the key in the ignition.

When the vehicle sputtered to life, the aged radio did, too, playing some tired English song. "I like to dream, yes, yes," the radio crooned, as the world outside the windows blurred sluggishly, sliding violently to one side. "Right between the sound machine."

Keitaro blinked, trying to get his bearings, and realized that he was smashed up against the door, while Seta made a thoughtful noise, threw a lever, and stomped on the gas pedal. "Uh-oh," Keitaro managed to croak out.

"On a cloud of sound I drift in the night," the song continued. "Any place it goes is right."

"I think I know a shortcut," Seta said helpfully before he reached out to turn up the volume of the radio. While he did so, the river spun crazily in place, and Keitaro swallowed heavily, whimpering.

When the van straightened from the spinning, it was hurtling through blurred city streets, zooming uphill impossibly fast. "Goes far, flies near," the music went on. "To the stars away from here."

"Gaaaaah," he managed to moan, while Seta hummed happily along with the music, cresting the hilltop and soaring free of the Earth's weak grip.

"Well, you don't know what, we can find," went the music. "Why don't you come with me little girl, on a magic carpet ride."

Keitaro considered this turn of the song for a heartbeat before deciding that he would much rather remain grounded and not fly away. The van decided the same thing at about that point, and it began to rotate alarmingly, nosing down towards the streets below. Surprisingly, he saw the courtyard in front of the inn appear before the van, only a handful of meters away.

"Well, you don't know what, we can see."

"Whoops," Seta laughed. "Looks like I made a bit of a mistake, there." The ground approached rapidly, showing not a trace of slowing its eager embrace of the descending vehicle.

"Why don't you tell your dreams to me, fantasy will set you free."

The van came to a lurching halt, flipping end over end while the music seemed to shift by the Doppler effect, and the ground greeted the metal behemoth. When Keitaro opened the door to stagger out, he and Seta bleeding from matching cuts on their heads, he had to wonder if the ride was as bad as he had thought. Was it, perhaps, just his imagination? The van certainly didn't look like it had rolled the way he remembered happening.

Seta opened the side door of the van, and rummaged through a box for a moment, before producing a book titled 'Advanced Combat.' "Very well," he said, nodding. "Let's see what this is about, then."

Keitaro shook his head to clear it, frowning. Wasn't he bleeding a moment ago? Ah, that wasn't important. Spinning on his heel, he marched into the inn, leading Seta to Haruka's side - and so, to Ranma.

The redhead was curled up on the floor, her head resting on a pillow. Haruka sat on the couch, her cigarette hanging in its habitual spot while she observed, and someone had swept up the dusting of the one that Ranma had shredded. "Oi," she greeted the men, nodding. "About time you got here."

"I came as soon as Keitaro-kun told me something was wrong," Seta said simply, smiling. "What's this about Oe-san turning into a catgirl?"

Haruka blinked, then shook her head. "He was acting like a cat," she clarified.

Seta nodded knowingly and flipped open his book before handing it over to Haruka.

The woman accepted it, scanning across the page quickly.

"Where did everyone else go?" Keitaro asked, scratching his head.

"Away," Haruka answered tersely. "They all had better things to do than sit around and watch Oe-san, once I shooed them off."

"Oh," he said quietly. "I see."

Seta nodded thoughtfully, as Sarah bounced into the room, gleefully throwing herself into the man's arms. "Papa-san!" she exclaimed. "Are we going fishing today?"

"You want to go fishing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I suppose we could do that." He turned to look at Haruka. "Do you mind if I take her out for a while?"

"Go right ahead," Haruka said, snapping the book shut with a frown. Seta nodded, waving goodbye, then took Sarah outside and vanished with the muted rumble of his van's engine. Mitsune crept into the room next, peering at the sleeping redhead cautiously.

"So ... what did you find out?" Keitaro asked, motioning towards the book. "What was all this about?"

"I had a suspicion," Haruka said slowly, frowning. "Where's everyone else?"

"I'll get them!" Mitsune replied, smiling. Haruka glanced over at the young woman, but she had already vanished.

"That girl needs to learn herself some subtlety," Haruka observed. "Have a seat, Keitaro."

Shrugging, he sat on one edge of the couch, scrubbing his hand through his hair. It was beginning to get a little lanky... Maybe he should get it cut? But then, Ranma and Seta had longer hair ... maybe he could grow it out a bit and see if that worked? What would Naru like? He shook his head to refocus; he was distracting himself again.

In short order, Mitsune had gathered everyone into the room.

"So, what happened to Oe-sensei?" Motoko asked cautiously, kneeling at Ranma's side and peering at her teacher's face curiously. "Some affliction, perhaps? Or maybe some form of demonic possession?"

"Eh ... something like that," Haruka replied, handing over the book. "Page fifteen or so," she added.

Motoko sat up straight, flipping through the pages until her eyes widened. "Neko-ken?" she asked. Perplexed, she read aloud to the assembled tenants, "'To learn this invincible martial arts technique, one must first take a fish sausage.'"

Suu blinked curiously, thoughtful for a moment, then nodded, while Motoko's brow furrowed. "And then what?" Shinobu asked, wondering how this related to martial arts.

"Um, 'then wrap it around the trainee and throw him into a pit of starving cats.'" Motoko blanched at that. "Invincible martial arts technique?" she asked. "I have doubts..."

"So Oe-san wanted to learn a martial arts technique so badly that he put himself through that?" Naru asked, frowning. Next to her, Suu's expression had taken a speculative cast, and she glanced at Motoko thoughtfully.

"How bad could it be?" Keitaro reasoned. "They're just cats, after all."

"Aaaugh..." Ranma moaned, uncurling slightly and tossing her head to one side. "They're everywhere."

"Oh, I suppose it could make a difference in how many there were," he temporized, at Mitsune's glare. "I mean ... I'd be scared if I were dropped in a pit with a dozen of them, I guess."

Ranma subsided slightly, seeming to lapse back into sleep.

"Er ... yeah. And then they'd probably go right for the sausage, with their beady eyes and prickly little claws - yeah, that'd scare me," Keitaro said, nodding.

All of the girls sent him a look somewhere between confusion and annoyance.

"And, um, the pit would probably be dark, which is also scary, and then they'd be making noise and biting and..." He trailed off, frowning, as Motoko and Mitsune shot him twin gazes of anger. "And I think I'll shut up now," he said, nodding again. He'd really put his foot in his mouth that time... Then again, he'd done almost as poorly with understanding Motoko's fear of turtles.

XXX

Haruka cleared her throat, rising from her couch, and shook her head. "Keitaro, let's go outside for a quick walk, hmm?" she asked.

Keitaro's eyes widened, and he backed away, shaking his head quickly. "No, no, I'm good, I don't need any air - maybe I'll go to my room and study for a bit, actually, now that-"

"Oh, give it up already," Haruka grumped. "The point here is that justified or not, everyone's got something they're afraid of. Try not to rub it in."

Shinobu nodded thoughtfully at that. "I always thought that ... they were cute and cuddly. Not scary," she said, turning to look at Ranma's slumbering form.

"Well, be that as it may, he did it to learn an invincible technique," Motoko said, frowning. "According to the book, at least."

"Turn the page," Haruka advised.

Motoko obliged, reading aloud, "'Of course, this isn't a real technique, and only an idiot would try it.'" She blinked, then sighed. "Oh. So, in his quest for power, he brought this upon himself."

"It ain't like that!" Ranma said, suddenly sitting bolt upright. "Wait." Her brows furrowed and she turned to look at Motoko speculatively. "What happened?"

The kendoka blinked, glancing about the room, then coughed, hiding the notebook behind her back. "Nothing, nothing at all," she blurted, managing a forced smile, though even to Shinobu's eyes it was unconvincing.

Shinobu frowned, shaking her head. "Oe-san?" she asked tremulously. "Why did you try and learn the neko-ken?"

After a convulsive twitch, the redhead shuddered and gave Shinobu an inquisitive look. "How'd you find out about that?" she asked.

"Well, we have a book..." she managed, offering a smile she hoped looked more believable than Motoko's. "But, mostly because you were ... acting like a cat earlier."

"Oh," Ranma said quietly, adjusting the fit of her bandana, then scratching behind one ear nervously. "I should have come clean on that a while ago, I guess," she admitted, grinning ruefully. "Um ... when I was a kid, my ... father ... thought it would be a good idea for me to learn the technique, so he tossed me into a pit for training."

She shuddered at that, shaking her head. "Uh, anyway, if I go ... like that ... again, you can usually get me out of it by triggering my curse. Otherwise, I'll usually calm down and let someone pet me ... then it just takes an hour or so to wear off."

"So I noticed," Haruka observed, suddenly looming over Ranma's diminutive form, her voice much more dire than Ranma's. She looked down at the redhead, cracked her knuckles, and said, "Please don't let that happen again."

Ranma's eyes widened slightly, and she backed away quickly. "Won't happen again," she said swiftly, shaking her head.

"Good," Haruka replied, her looming figure suddenly reduced to her more normal stature. "Having you sit on my lap cost me a good hour of running the tea shop. Doubt any customers came by, but I'd better check it out."

Ranma climbed to her feet and frowned. "Ah... Haruka-san ... would you be looking for any part-time help?" she asked cautiously.

Haruka raised an eyebrow at the door, and glanced back at Ranma. "I'll consider it," she said after a moment. After that she offered what may have been the hint of a smile, and vanished.

"Well, that didn't go too badly," Ranma reasoned, glancing around the assembled tenants. "Anything exciting happen while I was out?"

"Um..." Shinobu giggled quietly, still somewhat nervous. "You acted like a cat, Oe-san. That was enough excitement, I think."

"Great," Ranma replied, yawning. "I'm still sleepy, so I'm going back to bed ... assuming it's safe."

"Wait here a moment," Motoko said, holding up a hand to forestall Ranma's motion. It came too late, and the hand pressed into Ranma's chest. The redhead looked down at Motoko's hand, and the kendoka quickly withdrew it, blushing. "Ah ... that is ... wait here a moment, while I make sure there is nothing else in your room that should not be there."

Still blushing, the kendoka retreated swiftly, vanishing up the stairs towards Ranma's room.

Ranma blinked, then nodded, stretching. "What a day," she sighed.

"Tell me about it," Keitaro said after a moment. "Seta's driving scares me."

Naru shook her head. "I think I'm going to lie down for a while, too," she said, turning to the stairs and vanishing into her room.

"Your father threw you in a pit of cats?" Mitsune asked, scandalized. "That sounds rather ... cruel."

"Was it effective?" Suu asked curiously.

Ranma shuddered. "In a way, I guess," she mumbled. Shaking her head quickly, she added, "Don't try it. It's not worth it." Her eyes flickered briefly across Mitsune's, then away. "Anyway, that's not important anymore."

"I'm sorry, Oe-san," Shinobu said sympathetically. "I won't ... bring any more of them near you again."

"Thanks," the redhead replied uneasily.

Motoko returned then, nodding. "I have disabled Suu's devices." She shot the girl a disapproving look. "It should be safe, now."

"Thanks," Ranma mumbled again, blushing darkly, before she ran off. "G'night!" she called out on her way to her room.

"That was interesting," Mitsune said. "I'd say he's pretty embarrassed about the entire thing."

"Wouldn't you be?" Motoko asked, frowning. "If you had ... some fear that tormented you so?"

"I guess," Mitsune replied, shrugging. "I'm not really scared of anything like that, though."

"A letter came for you today," Motoko said, shifting the subject of the conversation.

"What, really?" Mitsune asked eagerly. "What was it? Where is it?"

"It's from a debt collector."

Mitsune's expression paled and she looked around nervously. "Uh ... really? Where's it from?"

"It isn't real," Motoko explained. "Today is Sunday, after all. The point is that we all have our fears."

"I don't!" Suu chirped cheerfully. "I'm afraid of nothing!" Smiling, she dashed away, singing in a language Shinobu didn't recognize as she skipped down the hallway.

"Don't do that!" Mitsune chastised Motoko. "Anyway, I need to go to work." Grumbling, she too wandered towards her room.

Keitaro shook his head, sighing. "And I need to study," he said before he left, walking down the same hallway Mitsune had used.

Motoko shrugged, then glanced at Shinobu. She only looked for a moment before looking away, watching something through the windows of the front room.

"I'm ... afraid of being alone," Shinobu volunteered.

Motoko shifted her feet slightly and nodded.

"I'm afraid ... that some day everyone will vanish, and I'll be ... all alone." She swallowed. "That's ... my fear."

"And you still find the courage to face it every day," Motoko said sadly. "That is brave, Shinobu-chan - don't think that it isn't."

"Aoyama-san?" Shinobu was taken aback at the kendoka's words - as though she, somehow, were more brave than the one who was training to fight constantly?

"Don't ... worry about it," Motoko said, shaking her head. "I'm going to go practice."

XXX

"Jogging?" Ranma asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well ... it's ... partially to keep in shape - the long hours of studying aren't good exercise - and ... partially to try and help Mutsumi-chan get healthier, so she can make it to Todai more easily," Keitaro explained.

The martial artist frowned. "So, you want to do this instead of practicing your martial arts?"

"Ah! No, of course not!" Keitaro said, waving his hands to placate Ranma. "In fact, we were hoping ... you would try and get her to train with us. Since you're a martial artist, you'd know more about training someone to become healthier ... right?"

"To a degree," Ranma said, nodding. "I mean, I spent a lot of time with Aniki learning ... to do all sorts of things, really. But yeah, I taught some of the beginners exercises at Tsuruko-sensei's dojo. If Otohime agrees to it, that's fine. Is this going to be before or after practice?"

"Before," Keitaro said happily. "Mutsumi-chan will follow us, and then we can show her how you teach us - hopefully she'll want to learn, too."

"'Us?'" Ranma asked, raising an eyebrow again.

"Er... yes," Keitaro managed, laughing uneasily. "Um ... Narusegawa wants to train with you, too."

"Why the change of heart?" Ranma asked, frowning.

"Er ... I ... guess she wants to keep a closer eye on me around Mutsumi-chan," he admitted.

Ranma nodded knowingly. "That makes sense," he said.

"Of course- HEY!" Keitaro balled his hands up into fists and bristled at Ranma. "What's that supposed to mean? I thought you were on my side!"

Ranma grinned, waving a hand dismissively. "I was just teasing you, Kanrinin. So what time do we meet for this jogging thing?"

"Open them!" Mitsune pestered gleefully. "I want to see what you got!"

XXX

Sighing, Ranma shook his head - though Suu was every bit as eager as Mitsune to see what was in the packages. "Fine, fine," he grumbled, snapping the twine about the first parcel and then tearing off the paper. "Clothes, clothes, clothes, clothes ... oh, a blanket," he noted, stacking the articles to one side of his bag. "More clothes ... and a spare blank notebook. Not bad."

Mitsune held up a shirt and raised an eyebrow. "Chinese silk?" she asked. "Nice - I like it."

"Eh, I don't know if it even fits me anymore," he dismissed. "I used to wear them a lot. Okay, package number two ... wait. This is from the old pervert." He frowned darkly, but opened it regardless. "Let's see what he gave me," he grumbled, as a number of lacy white and black feminine undergarments fell out. He ignored them, brushing them aside and reaching in to pull out a larger white piece of cloth. "A gi ... a signed writ recognizing ... my mastery of the Anything Goes school..." He blinked, staring at the scroll, then smiled. "Wow. It really..." Shaking his head, he set it aside, pulling a number of other scrolls from the bundle.

"What are all of these?" Mitsune asked, pulling one scroll in particular out and examining it. It seemed to show the outline of a body, with specific points being marked off.

"Pressure point chart," Ranma explained, glancing over the paper briefly. "It says it's to counter another set of pressure points ... hmm." He rifled through the other scrolls and pulled out another. "I think this is the first part. Looks like an exercise to increase the flow of ki through a person to enhance their ability. I'll have to research it more later."

"Is there a technique to turn invisible here?" Suu asked curiously.

"I doubt it - the old man would have used it, if he had it," Ranma said, shaking his head. "But, let's see..." He scanned through the other scrolls quickly, then shook his head. "Nope. No invisibility." He sighed, checking the return address on the parcel's ripped paper. "Funny... how did he send it from Aniki's place?"

"Maybe he knows your brother?" Mitsune suggested.

Ranma nodded. "Wouldn't be surprised," he admitted. "Everyone else seems to." He set the scrolls aside in a careful bundle. "Anyway, let's go ahead and see what the final package is." He tore it open, his eyes widening happily. "My bracers!" he exclaimed, pulling a pair of metallic-looking wristbands from the package and sliding them on. "Man, these things are great!"

"What are they?" Mitsune asked, leaning to inspect them closely. "They look like silver or copper in the light ... but the color changes and it moves like cloth."

"Feels like it, too," Ranma said, extending a wrist to Mitsune so she could touch the material. "This was a gift from ... someone ... after..." His face clouded, and he shook his head. "It was a gift," he said simply, shrugging. "She said it was dragon hide. I don't know if it's true or not, but I really like them anyway."

"Dragon hide?" Suu asked thoughtfully, peering closely at it, then nodding. "Looks like it," she replied disinterestedly. "Aniki has a pair of bracelets like that, too."

"Who's your older brother?" Ranma asked, plucking shirts and folded pants from the package and setting them in a neat stack.

"He's a prince," Suu said simply. "Ooh, is this a photo-album?"

"Ah! Pictures!" Faster than even Ranma could react, Mitsune snatched up the book.

He took it from her hands before she could open it and shook his head. "Time for that later," he chastised. "For now, I need to get to work, and you," he shot a pointed glance at Suu, "need to clean up these pieces of your last experiment."

XXX

Finally reaching the top of the hill, Keitaro let out a long breath, sighing. "Quite a run," he managed tiredly. "All this studying ... I don't get enough exercise!"

"Heh, the guy who invited us to run fell behind," Naru teased, giggling quietly. "Figures."

Naru, Mutsumi, and Keitaro all froze to look as a blurred shadow slid across the street. "An opening!" The blurred shadow resolved itself into Ranma, sliding backwards across the power-line over the road while balanced on the balls of his feet, his arms crossed over his face, and Motoko's blade between his bracers. Motoko drove the blade downwards, but was unable to touch the other martial artist with it.

"Gotcha!" he replied, grinning.

"Those bracers, they're-"

Not giving her enough time to react, Ranma rolled onto his back. Motoko's grip on her sword was firm, and she was pulled with him. Ranma's feet tucked under Motoko and then exploded upwards, launching her into the air with a trailed cry of panic.

He flipped off the power line, landing on the street on both feet, and wiped a faint sheen of sweat from his forehead. "Man, I'm glad Aniki sent all my stuff," he said, eyeing the metallic bands on his arms with a grin. "I can't believe I forgot these!"

"Wow!" Mutsumi cheered. "Are you an acrobat, as well as a martial artist?"

"Eh?" Ranma blinked at that, then shrugged, approaching a nearby vending machine. "I guess," he said after a moment, perusing the selection of  
drinks. "I mean, I've learned how to do stuff like that, too."

Fumbling for a moment with some change, he put coins in the vending machine, then pressed a button. It was vended with a rumbling clatter. Nodding in satisfaction, he added a few more coins and got another drink, but this time instead of dispensing the drink with a tumbling clank, the machine said, "Winner!" in a recorded voice, and dispensed two more cans.

"That was unexpected," he mused, juggling the three cans.

Naru frowned worriedly, and glanced upwards. "Shouldn't Motoko be coming back down soon?" she asked.

"Point," Ranma admitted, shoving the drinks into Keitaro's hands, then launching himself into the sky. Motoko descended and the two collided, a shower of sparks erupting as the kendoka's blade met with Ranma's bracers.

The pair of combatants came apart, flipping in the air and landing a few meters from one another. Motoko wore the same smile Ranma had a moment prior, and held her sword in a defensive position. "You've improved," she appraised.

"Just got my old bracers back," he said, nodding happily. "But, I think this is a good spot for a break, don't you?"

"About time you get tired," Keitaro grumped, as Ranma retrieved the drinks. "Fighting on the power lines?"

"It's good for practicing balance," Motoko answered flippantly, nodding as Ranma handed her a can. "Thank you, Oe-sensei."

"No problem," he assured her. "Haruka has me working part-time to fix up her apartment and the tea-shop. I'm not completely poor anymore." Ranma hesitated a moment, glancing at Keitaro and Naru, then held the extra can out to Mutsumi. "You look like you could use this," he offered.

"Oh, thank you," she said happily, accepting the drink. "A sports drink?"

"Water's better, but this'll replace some of the energy you lost on the way here," he explained. "You should also work on your breathing."

"Breathing?" she asked.

Ranma nodded, while Keitaro got drinks for himself and Naru. "How you breathe ... well, part of it is that it changes the way you move ki through your body," he explained.

Motoko nodded, opening her can. "The pathways through the body for ki allow you to have more energy, and thus, a better warrior," she added before taking a sip.

"Oh, but I'm not a warrior," Mutsumi said, shaking her head. "I just want to go to Todai!"

"Isn't that a form of fight?" Ranma asked. "I want to go to Todai, too. But if you want to be able to make it to the testing rooms, and then to Todai every day, it'll help to become stronger."

"That's true," Mutsumi admitted, nodding thoughtfully. Her generally cheerful features shifted as she considered things, and asked, "Will you help me become stronger?"

"Oh, um ... sure," Ranma agreed, looking nervous for a moment. "There's a few things we can do ... but just good exercise and proper breathing should help a lot."

"Thank you, Ranma-kun!" she exclaimed, cheerfully clasping her hands together.

"No problem," he said, grinning. "You're ... anemic, right?"

"Oh, yes ... how did you know?" she asked, cocking her head to one side.

"It was just a guess," Ranma admitted. "You looked a bit pale. Make sure you recover your breath before we jog back - good training doesn't push you too hard."

"Indeed," Motoko mused, crushing her can and tossing it into a nearby recycling bin. "So, what shall we do on the way back?"

"Simple," Ranma said, grinning. "You try and tag me once."

"That's it?" Motoko asked, disbelieving the task. "As you wish." She drew her sword and took up a stance - only to blink, as Ranma spun the blade idly through his fingers.

"Here's the challenge," he said, winking.

"Ah! My sword- Very well, I will show you a true warrior uses any weapon they can find," she shouted, drawing her sheath from her belt and swinging it at Ranma like a bokken. He ducked to one side, throwing the blade straight into the air, then plucked the sheath from her hands. "Hey!" she protested, glowering as he raised the sheath and caught the sword in it without looking. "Okay, now you're just showing off," she accused.

"I'm in an especially good mood," he chuckled. "Ready?"

"Ready!" she yelled back, charging him with her bare hands.

Mutsumi shook her head appreciatively as the martial artists danced fluidly over the hilltop. "Ranma-kun sure has a lot of energy," she observed, sipping her drink.

Keitaro nodded, glancing between the two girls who had jogged with him. "Yes," he replied, sighing happily. "He's teaching me martial arts, too."

"Oh, can you do something like that, too?" Mutsumi asked, turning to look at him while she sipped at her drink.

"Eh?" Keitaro asked, retreating a step at the suggestion. "Oh, no, I'm not nearly that, good, really!"

"Are you certain?" Mutsumi asked, stepping closer.

"I'm pretty sure," Keitaro said, nodding as he retreated another step. His ankle caught on a short barrier, and he stumbled backwards over it, sending up a great gout of cold water as he splashed into a nearby stream. "Auuugh! Cold!" he yelped, as Ranma managed - somehow - to get splashed while sparring with Motoko.

The redhead seemed not to even notice that her gender had changed, except to pull her shirt away from her chest while she and Motoko sparred. Mutsumi turned her attention to Keitaro, as he pulled himself from the streambed. "Oh, my, are you alright, Kei-kun?" Mutsumi asked, leaning towards him to offer him a hand up and a towel. "You must be careful, you don't want to catch a cold right now!"

Keitaro nodded, glancing at Narusegawa as he climbed over the short fence blocking access to the stream. Mutsumi attempted to dry him off, but he shook his head, blushing. "I can dry myself off," he managed, laughing. She nodded, and he quickly got what he could of himself dry.

"We can finish at home later when we take a bath," Naru said, stretching. "Are you ready for the run back?"

"Ah ... you two take a bath together?" Mutsumi asked, her eyes widening. "I hadn't realized you were in such a relationship!" She giggled, her hand covering her mouth. "How naughty!"

"Not together!" Naru protested quickly, her face reddening darkly.

"We just live at the same place!" Keitaro added.

"And ... we use the hot springs at the Hinata-Sou." Naru cleared her throat. "Why don't we go back there to study for a while?"

Mutsumi's eyes lit up and she gasped in delight. "Hot springs?" she asked excitedly. "I love hot springs! Even though I've heard that there were springs in the area, I'd never gotten a chance to visit one near here." She turned back towards the inn and began jogging happily.

"Um..." Keitaro began uncertainly. "I don't-"

"Kensei-strike!" Motoko yelled out suddenly, making a slashing movement with one hand. "A slash without a sword!" True to her word, a flashing blade of light shot between her and Ranma, the redheaded martial artist ducking just barely beneath the attack, as it tore into the street behind her.

"Hold up there!" Ranma growled, suddenly angry.

Motoko froze, brought up short. "Was my form off?" she asked anxiously. "Was I not supposed to use such an attack?"

Ranma sighed, shaking her head, and motioned Keitaro to move on. Swallowing, Keitaro turned to chase after Mutsumi, along with Naru. As he jogged down the hill, he caught the tail end of Ranma's lecture to Motoko.

"Now, that attack's good, and there'll be situations where you need it ... but you always need to be careful when fighting. There's no call to damage the surroundings or anything else. What would you do if you accidentally hurt an innocent bystander..."

In short order, Keitaro had caught up with Mutsumi, and it only took a moment to reach the inn. Mutsumi gamely jogged up the steps, not stopping until she reached the top. Naru and Keitaro paced her, and they all stopped to catch their breath in the courtyard before the inn's entrance.

"Ah!" Mutsumi breathed, surveying the inn. Keitaro examined it himself. Since Ranma's confrontation with the construction crew, the place had started getting put together very quickly - the siding and walls had been repaired nicely, all of the holes cleanly repaired instead of crudely patched. The roof was immaculate, of course, and Keitaro could only grin at the pride welling up inside him when he realized that he was responsible for a piece of it.

A stray wind brushed through the surrounding trees. "The famous Japanese inn, Hinata-Sou," Mutsumi said appreciatively. "I've seen this building before, I think."

"Eh?" Keitaro noised, surprised. Motoko and Ranma lit on the top of the stairs, neither of them looking pleased. "Um ... something wrong?"

"Nothing," Motoko said, relaxing slightly. "Merely more lessons to learn."

Ranma's expression grew pained, and she shook her head. "Look, Motoko-chan ... we learn from our mistakes, right? I'd ... just like you to do me a favor and take that a step further - learn from my mistake. That's all," she explained.

Motoko's resentment faded. "I will try," she said, meeting Ranma's eyes and nodding.

"Say," Mitsune called from the balcony, her toothbrush in her mouth. "It's the turtle-girl, isn't it?"

"Ah! Hello, Kitsune-san!" Mutsumi greeted, waving happily.

"Er ... how'd you know my name?" she asked, blinking.

"Oh, Tamago told me," Mutsumi explained, nodding.

Shinobu, also on the balcony, brushing her teeth, eyed the collection of people below her carefully, and removed her toothbrush from her mouth.

Mitsune blinked for a moment, then shook her head. "When does class begin, Oe-sensei?"

"When you're all outside, I suppose," she said, shrugging.

XXX

Once everyone had assembled, Ranma led them through their training exercises, though she emphasized the importance of proper breathing to everyone before they began. Naru sighed, shaking her head. Seta had taught her differently, but she didn't really know much outside of one or two moves.

Ranma seemed to aim to teach her a whole style of martial arts, showing her more of the Jeet-Kun-Do that Seta had trained her in, while Mutsumi joined Mitsune and Shinobu in Tai Chi. Suu and Keitaro had joined in learning at Naru's side, and she had to wonder what it was that Suu had been learning before, but Ranma looked happy that Suu had switched, so she decided not to ask.

Motoko, of course, trained in something Ranma wouldn't name, sparring against Ranma barehanded. She seemed to be improving, too, if Ranma's appraisal was any indication - Naru couldn't tell herself. Both Ranma and Motoko were light-years beyond her own ability, outside of her few specialized attacks. Still ... she did like the idea of keeping herself in shape. And, of course, it let her keep an eye on Keitaro when he was with Mutsumi.

She shook her head to clear it. "Ah, that was nice," she sighed, stretching. "Um ... Mutsumi-san, would you like to use the hot springs with me? Keitaro and Ranma have their own baths."

Mutsumi glanced at the pair - Ranma currently a girl - who were chatting amiably and discussing a maneuver that Keitaro was trying to learn. "Okay!" she said cheerfully, traipsing along after Naru and into the baths.

"Ah, so nice," Mutsumi breathed, once she was soaking comfortably in the hot water.

Naru shook her head, glancing at the other girl. "You sure seem to like this," she commented to Mutsumi.

"Oh, I like lots of things!" she said cheerfully. "Who do you like?"

"Eh?" Naru managed, stunned. "You mean what, right?"

"No, no," Mutsumi said, shaking her head softly. "Who is your boyfriend?"

"Ack!" Naru squeaked out. "I'm not ... that is..."

"Oh?" Mutsumi asked, leaning forward to examine Naru closely. "Is it that you like someone, but aren't going out with them? It is! Who do you like, Naru-san?"

The other girls - all of which had joined them in the baths, after the morning martial arts practice - watched with wide-eyes.

"Um ... well," she said slowly. "You see..." What was she supposed to say? Usually at about this point something awkward would happen - something that would tend to involve Keitaro wandering in and embarrassing himself horribly. She looked around nervously, wondering what it would be.

XXX

"So, I think it's going to be a function of ... ah ... ah..." Fumbling a handkerchief from his pocket, Keitaro managed to smother his sneeze. "Sorry about that," he managed.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Ranma said, leaning across the table to peer as his answer sheet. "That looks about the same as what I was thinking."

Keitaro nodded, then shivered violently.

"You alright, Kanrinin?" Ranma asked, frowning.

"I suddenly got the strangest feeling," Keitaro said nervously. "Anyway, um, onto the next question."

XXX

Naru swallowed back her fear, as nothing continued to happen to interrupt the question. "W...well," she managed, bowing her head. She had admitted it to herself, ultimately. When she thought she had lost Keitaro to Ranma it had begun to become clear in her own mind, at least. "I like..."

"Is it me?" Suu asked excitedly.

"I ... like all of you, but ... the guy I like..." Naru trailed off, struggling with herself.

"Yes?" Mutsumi asked, smiling hopefully.

"It's ... he's..."

"Go on," Mitsune encouraged, grinning speculatively.

"Well ... you see..."

"Who is it?" Motoko asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I ... really..."

"Sempai?" Shinobu asked, her eyes shining with trepidation.

"...like... Keitaro," Naru gasped out, her face suffusing solid crimson. "I ... have for a while," she managed, drained from the admission.

"Ooh," Shinobu moaned, sinking in the bath to lean against a rock.

"See, that wasn't so hard!" Mitsune cheered, winking at Naru.

"I can't imagine what you see in that man," Motoko said, not quite able to meet Naru's eyes.

"Keitaros are interesting too," Suu admitted after a moment.

Naru met Mutsumi's eyes, finally, and offered a nervous smile. Mutsumi herself regarded Naru with widened eyes - not widened in shock, simply not narrowed in joy. Her expression shifted to a smile after a moment, though there were hints of sadness in the depths of her eyes before she veiled them behind narrowed eyelids. "Yes, Keitaro is very handsome," she encouraged. "I like him, too. Have you confessed to him yet?"

"N...no," Naru admitted, still feeling her face burn with embarrassment. "I... will. After the test to get into Todai."

"That's a good plan!" Mutsumi assured her.

XXX

"So, why don't we all study together?" Keitaro asked, while Ranma poured hot water over her - now his - head. "I mean, there are four of us, and ... I know I got a lot better at studying after I began studying with Narusegawa ... so if we all work together, I bet we can all make it!"

"I'm willing to give it a shot," Ranma said, setting the kettle on the table. "I might not always be able to make it, but with a team of four, if one person can't be there, the other three can still work together."

"I ... wouldn't mind that," Naru agreed, blushing.

"Oh, I like studying with Naru-chan and Kei-kun!" Mutsumi said cheerfully. "I'll gladly study with you!"

* * *

Author's notes:

Thanks again to all the people on the Refuge who helped C&C this chapter.


	9. Trials, Testing, and Temporary Employmen

"So, how exactly does ki move through a body?" Mutsumi asked curiously, looking between Ranma and Motoko.

Ranma said nothing, reading a scroll he had produced from his room and nodding thoughtfully. Motoko glanced at him, then answered, "Think of it like blood vessels going through a body." She considered that for a moment, then shook her head. "No, that's not quite it. Think of it like the passageways through a house."

"And the ki would be the people who lived inside?" Mutsumi asked thoughtfully.

"Yes! And with the passageways blocked, certain elements of ki - or people in this house - would have trouble reaching all of the points that they need to," Motoko explained.

Mutsumi frowned, then raised a fingertip to her lips. "So, what happens when the ki is blocked from getting where it needs to go?"

Keitaro stumbled across the muddied lawn, staggering as though drunk. He stopped a few paces away and lurched from one foot to the other unsteadily. "They ... patched ... the hole," he said aloud. "It's ... all ... blocked off..."

"It would cause the strength of your ... life-force to decrease," Ranma explained slowly, glancing at the manager. "Eventually, your body would just give up, even if it was otherwise healthy."

Keitaro gurgled softly and began to wobble on his feet.

"Ah, I see," Mutsumi remarked. "And the ki is blocked through me?"

"To a large degree, yes," Motoko answered, eyeing Keitaro worriedly. "Oe-sensei and I will help you unblock those passageways - part of it is by proper breathing, and ... he will use pressure points for most of the rest."

"And what will that do?"

"It'd be a lot like ... um ... fixing a door that was stuck, or opening a window that was closed," Ranma offered. "Maybe like adding a new door to a blank wall so you could connect two rooms that needed to be close together."

"Patched up," Keitaro mumbled.

"So I can be saved?" the girl asked, as Keitaro collapsed on the lawn and began to twitch weakly. "I hope it's not too late."  


* * *

Diamonds in the Rough - Chapter Eight - Trials, Testing, and Temporary Employment

Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine. That's all.

Notes: Divergences should become apparent as relevant.  


* * *

"Um ... with any luck," Ranma answered, glancing again at Keitaro for a moment. "Anyway, this lists a series of exercises we can use to help improve your health - and some pressure points, like Motoko-chan said."

The kendoka nodded, taking a moment to study the scroll herself.

"How does it work?" Mutsumi asked, clasping her hands together and cocking her head to one side.

"Well, think of the pressure points as ... opening doors between the rooms in a house. The actual movement would be the trick of having your ki - the people in the house - move through the rooms, which will help strengthen you," Ranma explained, rolling up the scroll and putting it into his pocket. "Until you learn more about meditation, all you'd need to do is practice simple exercises to encourage the movement of ki through your own body."

"Okay!" Mutsumi enthused. "I understand. How do we begin?"

"First, we'll show you the special kata you'll need to move through - it's fairly close to the exercises I showed you yesterday. Are you ready?"

"Yes!" The girl nodded eagerly.

Ranma nodded and moved slowly through the kata, Motoko and Mutsumi watching closely. Keitaro finally picked himself up enough to sit up and watch curiously. "Like that," Ranma said, once he was done.

"Oh, that looks graceful," Mutsumi cooed. "You think I can do it, too?"

"It should be simple," Motoko encouraged her. "Just move slowly and you can do it easily."

Nodding, Mutsumi attempted to repeat the motions Ranma had demonstrated, though he halted her a few times to correct her positioning until she was able to mimic his performance nearly flawlessly. "Is this it?" she asked, uncertain.

"Yeah, that's it. Well, I'll hit the pressure points, if you're ready," Ranma said slowly. "But ... before I do that, you need to understand that we need to do this every day for at least a month. Is that okay with you?"

Mutsumi nodded again happily, smiling. "I would like to be able to not fall down so often," she replied. "If this will help me, I am willing to try it - especially if it helps me study with you, Keitaro-kun, and Naru-chan!"

"Okay, well, the next part ... is ... that I need to touch you," Ranma explained, blushing slightly. He raised a hand to his chest, and indicated a pair of points. "There are two pressure points here, and three on your back that I need to hit - are you sure that's okay?"

"I'm watching - if he tries anything perverse I will catch him," Motoko added.

Ranma shot her an annoyed look, then turned back to Mutsumi. "Are you okay with it?" he asked again.

"Oh, that's rather forward, isn't it?" she asked, suddenly apprehensive.

Motoko produced a bucket from behind her and splashed her teacher. "How about now?" she asked, smirking at the newly transformed redhead.

"That's not nearly as bad!" Mutsumi exclaimed, smiling brightly. "Shall we begin?"

Keitaro's eyes widened, and life returned to his gaze as he returned to his normal state, save that his nose was bleeding. Ranma stepped behind Mutsumi, reaching up under her arm, and poked two fingers into her chest, touching three separate points on her back at the same time. The redhead held the pressure points for a moment, until stray hairs on Mutsumi's head began to rise, as though statically charged.

"I think that did it," she said cautiously, stepping back around in front of Mutsumi. "How do you feel?"

"I feel a little stronger," the dark-haired girl replied thoughtfully. "Should I go through the exercises again?"

"Yep! In about a month, we'll proceed to exercise number two, and according to these instructions, you'll be done," Ranma replied, smiling. With Ranma and Motoko repeating the exercises at her side, Mutsumi went through them again.

XXX

Shaking his head, Ranma sighed, turning his attention to the practice test before him. Focus. This required focus. He mumbled under his breath, "Study, study, study, study!" He would get through this!

"Pencils up!" Sighing, Ranma shook his head, glancing at his fellow would-be Todai-students across the test center hall.

Keitaro looked confident as he took care of his answer sheet. At his side, Naru looked less sure of herself, though still hopeful.

"Do you think you did well?" Naru asked, glancing between the two once they were on the sidewalk and headed back towards the inn. "You look hopeful, Keitaro."

"Ah ... I think so, but we won't know until we get home and compare answers," Keitaro replied, shaking his head. "What about you, Oe-san?"

"I get the feeling I totally blew my math questions," he sighed, spreading his hands in a helpless gesture. "Still trying to correct everything I got wrong from Taiso." He brightened suddenly, smiling. "But I think I did at least fair everywhere else."

"I know the feeling," Naru offered sympathetically. "I had to skip over the conversion factors entirely - I completely forgot about them."

"At least it's only a practice test," Ranma reasoned, crossing his arms behind his head and gazing upwards. "Ah, a clear day ... should be the last day the construction crew is around, too."

"You're a big fan of clear weather?" Keitaro asked, raising an eyebrow.

"For obvious reasons," Naru added, whacking Keitaro playfully upside the head. "Did you forget so easily?"

Keitaro chuckled, ducking his head in embarrassment as Tamago fluttered across the breeze and landed on his shoulder. "Sorry, sorry ... but I'm glad that we're all studying together. With the four of us, I think we'll make it into Todai for sure!" He turned to the turtle curiously. "And what are you doing here?"

"Myu!" the turtle chirped worriedly.

"What?" Ranma snapped, standing at attention and peering at Tamago. "Mutsumi's fallen in a well?"

"MYU!" the turtle chirped a second time, shaking its head quickly.

"Oh! She's about to be hit by a car," he said, nodding. "Wait, that's not good." He shook his head, flowing into motion. It was as though there were some form of step-up to a higher state, he observed, marveling at how disconnected he felt from himself at the moment.

The distance between himself and the girl blurred, stretching, then compressing, so it seemed like he took only a single step forward before he caught her in his arms and lashed out with one foot, pushing upwards and off the car that was about to collide with them. They soared over it, the girl protectively held to his chest as he somersaulted, rebounding off the side of a building to come to rest before Naru and Keitaro.

Mutsumi blinked, as he set her down. "Oh, my," she managed, dazed. "Thank you, Ranma-kun."

"No problem," he dismissed, ignoring the gawking bystanders. "You okay?"

"I've been better," she admitted, wobbling on her feet.

Ranma nodded, as the images of what he'd done filtered into place. He hadn't even managed to realize what was going on - he'd just reacted to it. But thinking back, he could see himself joking with the turtle, pretending he could understand its speech, when he caught sight of Mutsumi, about to stumble into an oncoming car. And that had - again - triggered the same sequence that had allowed him to defeat Happosai.

What was it that made it happen? Was it that she reminded him of ... Kasumi? No, she wasn't that similar - it must be something else. He banished the thoughts, jotting them down in his notebook before he forgot them entirely. Enough time to consider it later. For now, he had other things to worry about.

"I've been emotionally battered," she explained, producing a sheet of paper. "My last exam score was very poor."

Keitaro took a step back, waving a Shinto ward frantically as though to banish the results. Ranma and Naru merely winced sympathetically. "How well do you suppose you would have done if you had signed the test?" Ranma asked, reading the note at the top.

Mutsumi looked thoughtful, then shook her head, while Tamago drifted to her shoulder. "I'm not sure," she admitted.

"Well, why don't we check the results, then? I'm sure it'll be higher than ... er ... negative one hundred percent," he reasoned.

Mutsumi offered a wan smile and nodded. "Okay," she agreed. "Thank you again for saving me - I wouldn't want to get hit by another car today."

"Another car..." Keitaro began.

"...today?" Naru finished, the both of them wide-eyed.

Ranma merely blinked, stunned. "Right," he said after a moment. "Let's go back to the inn and check those test scores out."

XXX

"Well," Naru reasoned, as they climbed the stone stairs to the inn, "there's still another seventy days before we need to worry about the test itself. We have plenty of time to improve."

"True, true," Keitaro said, nodding his head.

"Where are we studying today?" Ranma asked, stretching. "Your room, Kanrinin?"

"Why don't we use my room?" Naru asked. "They just finished fixing it up yesterday."

"Ooh, forgot about that," Ranma realized aloud, snapping his fingers. "I'll catch up with you at the entrance - I'm going to get some cold water from Haruka." He bounced away before the others could say anything.

Naru merely shrugged. "Today should be the last day, right?"

"Oh, no," Mutsumi replied, shaking her head. "Ranma-kun has only been helping me for a week. He said it would take a whole month!"

"Ah, we meant the last day the construction workers would be here," Keitaro explained, laughing nervously.

"Oh ... but the tea-shop doesn't look like it's done, yet," she said, pointing to the smaller structure. The teashop indeed looked as though just over half of the roofing tiles had been replaced so far.

"Oe-san is working on that all alone, though," Naru explained. "He'll probably finish it up in a week."

"Haruka told me she was paying me for three weeks, so I might as well use them all. It gives me more time to study," Ranma said, female once more, at the top of the steps. "So, up to the third floor?"

"Oh! I know a shortcut!" Mutsumi exclaimed excitedly, once she entered the doorway.

"Eh? Shortcut?" Naru and Keitaro asked together.

Mutsumi merely nodded happily and pushed a large box at the side of the stairs away from the wall, revealing a low tunnel leading deeper into the inn.

"How could we have missed this?" Keitaro asked, surprise in his voice.

"Yeah," Naru managed, gawking at the sight. "And ... we never found one once when we ... er ... made holes in the walls on accident."

"I'm kind of wondering how we managed to fix up the place without noticing something like this," Ranma added, frowning.

Mutsumi giggled good-naturedly and dropped to the floor to crawl into the opening. "Come on!" she called out over her shoulder. "Follow me!"

The four crept through the dark tunnel, quickly finding themselves passing through an entrance hidden behind one of the scrolls on the wall of Naru's room. "How come I never knew about this!" the girl protested. "I've been here for three years!"

"Mutsumi-san ... are you psychic?" Keitaro asked curiously.

"I ... don't know how I knew," the girl admitted, suddenly thoughtful. "My memory is sometimes not very good."

"I know how that goes," Ranma said quietly, smirking. "That's why I take notes about everything."

Mutsumi nodded thoughtfully, then clapped her hands together, smiling. "Shall we begin?"

"Ah ... right," Naru said, shaking her head. "Now, here's the guide, let's check our answers and self-correct."

Naru focused herself on her test, checking her results carefully. Certainly she would have to do better than she had last time... And she had. Right off the bat, she got the first answer correct. Smiling, she continued to check through the answers, until she had tallied all of her results.

"Whew!" she announced, setting her sheet down. "I got four hundred and seventy points!"

"Out of five hundred?" Keitaro asked, impressed. "That's nice! I only managed to get three hundred and eighty six."

"Three hundred and ninety," Ranma contributed, shaking her head. "The math killed me."

"Oh?" Mutsumi asked, finishing her calculations. "I only got four hundred and eighty five. Is that good?"

"Uh ... that's ... very good," Naru managed, blinking. "If ... you score that high, why didn't you already make it into Todai?"

"Oh, well, sometimes I forget to write my name on the test," she explained. "Or get sick and faint before the test. I think that's what keeps me from getting in."

"Er ... well, it looks like me and Kanrinin here really need to hit the books, but your training should keep you from fainting as easily," Ranma said, smiling.

"That will be nice!" Mutsumi exclaimed cheerfully.

"Right. Until then, more studying?" Ranma asked.

"Uh ... right," Naru said nodding. "We just need to identify our weak areas and improve. Oe, was it just math for you?"

Ranma surveyed her test and grimaced. "My English could've been better," she admitted. "Too bad they want English instead of Mandarin."

"You know Mandarin?" Keitaro asked, glancing at Ranma's results. "It looks like your English isn't actually that bad - you know three languages?"

"Er ... yeah," Ranma replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Um ... I learned a little bit of Mandarin when I was younger, and was taught ... more later." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, it's a long story."

"Oh, I love stories!" Mutsumi said brightly. "What is the story about?"

Ranma blushed darkly, shaking her head. "Ask me some other day."

The girl nodded, letting the question drop, and opened a study guide.

XXX

"So this is your room?" Naru asked, glancing around.

"Yep," Ranma replied, ushering Keitaro and Mutsumi in behind Naru.

The walls were all bare, save the scrolls that had come with the room - scrolls that probably concealed more hidden passageways - and a single framed image of a girl with purple hair sitting on the shelf in the corner. The floor was equally bare, except for the bicycle, which was standing unobtrusively in another corner, and then the table that Ranma had set up.

As Naru took a seat, Keitaro frowned at the cloth of the kotatsu. "This looks like the table in Haruka-san's apartment."

"It was," Ranma replied with a shrug. "When I finished fixing up the inside of her place, she decided she was going to get new furniture. She gave me an old futon and this table pretty cheap." He patted the tabletop affectionately, smiling. "It was a little beat up, and the heater makes some noise when you first turn it on, but it's solid - I refinished it, patched the holes in the cloth, and I think it cleaned up pretty nice."

"It looks very well cared for," Mutsumi said, running her fingers across the smooth wooden surface, before smiling at Ranma.

"I studied carpentry for a while," Ranma admitted, embarrassed. "Anyway, let's get to studying. We've only got so many more days left before we test."

"Ooh!" Mutsumi exclaimed, opening a photo album that Naru hadn't even seen her pick up. The first page had a single picture on it, that of a confused looking Ranma, male at the time, looking at a bicycle with a blue ribbon tied onto it. "Is that your bicycle, Ranma-kun?" she asked, sliding to sit next to Ranma and show him the picture better, then pointing to the same bicycle in the corner.

"Er ... yes," he said, nodding. "I wasn't expecting it, but Aniki saved the money to buy the parts, then put it together himself - taught me how to take care of it and everything."

"Do you have any pictures of your older brother?" Keitaro asked, leaning to see the picture more closely himself.

"Um ... I'm afraid not," he admitted. "He was the one taking the pictures, after all."

"Do we have time for this?" Naru asked, frowning. "Shouldn't we be studying?"

"You mean you're not at all curious?" Keitaro asked, raising an eyebrow.

Naru shook her head. "Oh, fine," she grumped, crossing her arms over her chest but unable to hide her smile. "Oe-san, do you have any other pictures?"

He sighed, flipped the page, and revealed a scattered collection of himself in female form doing various jobs around an onsen. The most prominent image was of her giving a 'victory' sign towards the camera while grinning.

"You really are a cutie as a waitress," Mitsune teased.

"Yeah, well- YAAAH!" Ranma turned his head to look at the young woman in shock. "When did you get here?"

"I had a feeling," she said, grinning.

"And I wanted to learn more about Ranmas!" Suu piped up, climbing out from under the table to sit opposite Ranma.

Shinobu nodded shyly from Suu's side.

"Right," Ranma grumped. "Where's Motoko-chan, then?"

A delicate cough sounded, and the kendoka had the decency to look embarrassed, stepping out from behind Naru. "I was ... curious, myself," she admitted.

Ranma sighed, shaking his head. "Fine, fine. I'll tell you the story of how I learned Mandarin."

The tenants nodded as Ranma flipped a page to an image of a slightly younger male version of himself. He and a girl next to him were giving identical cheesy grins and victory signs, each with one arm about the other's waist.

"Ooh!" Mutsumi cooed. "Ranma-kun - is this your girlfriend?"

"Um ... my wife, actually," he replied, chuckling nervously.

Ranma was married? It was all Naru could do not to gawk. He had said something like that not long ago, but she had attributed it to him being drunk - or hung over.

At the sudden gasps of shock sounding from around him, he cleared his throat. "Um ... it's kind of a ... strange story, but..." He took a moment to school his thoughts, then nodded, some expression Naru couldn't quite identify flashing across his face. "See, her name was Shan Pu..."

XXX

"This look like a good spot to stop for a bit?" Kintaro asked, bringing his bicycle to a halt, then checking the brakes.

Ranma nodded, checking the position of the sun in the sky. "I think this is better in summer," he said. "More hours where it's safe to be on the road."

"Very true," Kintaro agreed, chuckling. "You want to set up the tents, or cook tonight?"

"Your cooking is better, Aniki," Ranma deferred. "I'll set up the tents."

"Okay, then," Kintaro said, climbing off his bike, and setting his backpack on the ground. Ranma did the same, and the two proceeded to set up their camp. Within the span of a few minutes, Kintaro had gotten a fire started, and Ranma had finished setting up the tents.

While Kintaro set up the small pot, Ranma went out to look for more deadfalls, gathering up a small supply of firewood. It only took him a few minutes to gather enough for the night, and then he returned to the camp, setting it a careful pace and a half away from the blaze.

"Smells good," he encouraged.

"Oh, we'll teach you to cook yet," Kintaro chuckled, grinning. "Outside of an inn, anyway."

"Campfire cooking is not nearly as easy," Ranma replied, smirking.

"Fair enough," Kintaro admitted. "Where do you want to head next?"

Ranma considered things for a bit and frowned. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking of heading north - spending some time in Hokkaido for a while," Kintaro suggested. "I've heard there's a few good teachers in the area. We can spend the winter working for the department of public works, and then when the thaw comes around, we can go to somewhere around Osaka."

"Osaka?" Ranma raised an eyebrow. Both locations had the advantage of being far from Nerima.

"I know someone who runs a dojo in the area," Kintaro clarified. "She might be willing to let us train with her for... Say, did you hear that?"

Ranma raised an eyebrow and glanced over his shoulder, looking into the darkness surrounding the camp. He shook his head quietly, but Kintaro just scowled.

"Come on into the light," the man instructed. "We're not going to hurt you."

Ranma's eyes widened in surprise, as Shampoo hesitantly emerged from the darkness, her eyes fearful and locked on Ranma. "Airen?" she asked softly, biting her lip.

"Shampoo?" he managed to squeak out.

She smiled at him, stealing a glance towards Kintaro before she sank to her knees a few paces away from Ranma. "Was ... curious. Wanted to know why ... Airen left."

"Ah..." he managed.

Kintaro rose to his feet and balled up his fists angrily. "You'd better be careful," the older man warned, frowning. "Ranma is my little brother, you know, and he left Nerima for a good reason."

"Shampoo doesn't want to make Airen unhappy," Shampoo said quickly, shaking her head. "Does not want to make Airen angry ... but wants to know why Airen left."

"That's..." He swallowed, shaking his head. "Don't try and make me go back," he warned. "That's ... not part of my life anymore."

"Shampoo does not mind," she said mildly. "Shampoo not think that Nerima is home."

Kintaro relaxed visibly, sinking to a sitting position and stirring the stew in the cook pot. "Alright, then," he said, shrugging.

"So ... Ranma ... is angry at Shampoo?" she asked, biting her lip.

"N...no, I'm not angry at you," Ranma admitted, shaking his head. "I was ... I had... Shampoo, do you know about my mother?"

The girl nodded slightly, frowning. "Shampoo ... hear about Ranma's mother from spatula-girl," she admitted. "Ranma hides curse from mother, or have to die?"

"Yeah," Ranma admitted, wincing. Kintaro grimaced, shaking his head. "Um ... my ... the..." Swallowing, he shook his head. "Nodoka... I... She..." He broke off again, unable to put it into words, then hung his head. "She rejected me, Shampoo."

The girl gasped, clasping her hands together worriedly. "Is no good!" she said tearfully. "Ranma is good boy - very much man! How ... she not see this?"

"I dunno," he said, his voice thickening. "But she didn't think I was good enough."

"Oh, is too-too stupid woman, not see Ranma is man," Shampoo opined, edging slightly closer to Ranma. "But... Shampoo think that not only reason Ranma leave."

He shrugged, raising his eyes to meet hers. "It was too much," he said quietly. "My life was ... crazy. If it wasn't one thing, it was another, and something happened that I got blamed for..." He swallowed, bowing his head. "I ... couldn't stay any longer. I can't let that life be mine."

"But ... Shampoo ... is married to Ranma," she said quietly. "Law of village..."

"I can't ... let that be part of my life anymore, Shampoo," he insisted, shaking his head. "I'm sorry."

"Maybe ... is other way?" the girl asked hopefully. "Ranma ... say he married to Shampoo for one month. After month, Shampoo ... for Ranma ... say rite of divorce invoked. Then ... no more be married, and ... honor satisfied."

Ranma blinked at the girl, realizing what she was offering to give up. "For... This is my issue of honor," he said, nodding slowly. "This is what I got myself into, not ... Pop. Yes ... okay, Shampoo. I will help you regain your honor as much as I can ... without going back with you."

The girl lunged across the distance, trapping him in a tight hug. "Shampoo like Ranma very much!" she exclaimed, bright tears trickling down her cheek. "When Shampoo think Ranma angry, Shampoo very sad. Shampoo will try to make Ranma happy, help him, and not be problem."

XXX

"It was a matter of honor," Ranma explained, looking at the picture of himself with the girl. "She had to be married to me because ... I beat her in a fight. The laws of her village say if she can't keep me as a husband, she's not fit to be married to anyone else." He swallowed, shaking his head and glancing around the assembled tenants. There was only so much of the story he could really tell...

They seemed transfixed by the image of Shampoo. "Wow," Shinobu said after a moment. "She was ... beautiful."

"Yeah ... and she was a good friend, too," Ranma remembered sadly.

"But... How were you married to her if you were engaged to that ninja?" Shinobu asked, biting her lower lip.

"Eh ... that ... um..." He shook his head. "My pops engaged me to Ucchan when we were kids ... even though I was also engaged to someone else."

"You had three girls after you at once?" Naru asked, eyes widening. "Humph, stringing them along, I bet."

"Nothing like that!" Ranma protested, shaking his head. "I was a kid - I wasn't ready to settle down with any of them - period. It wasn't like I was asking for relationships. And. .. things got messed up later... Uh. Anyway. I'm telling you about Shan Pu right now."

Suu nodded with interest as Ranma flipped the page, which showed Ranma and Shampoo bicycling along the road, Mt. Fuji standing clearly in the background. Assorted other pictures showed Ranma and Shampoo about their various camps, and running through the woods.

"She ... taught me a lot about tracking, and how to speak Mandarin," he said quietly. "There was a loophole in the law that she could use to get both of us free. If I agreed to be married to her for a month ... then she could decide that she didn't want me, and declare the marriage nullified. Since ... it was my own honor, I agreed. I owed her that, and for the next ... well ... three months, we stayed together, traveling across Japan."

"Not bad," Keitaro said, nodding at the image of Shampoo in a bathing suit, winking at the camera.

"Watch where you put those eyes!" Naru grumbled, shooting Keitaro a dark look.

"Er ... she can't actually swim," Ranma said quietly, before Keitaro could reply. "She's cursed, too."

"Does she turn into a boy?" Mitsune asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She turned into a ... cat," Ranma said flatly, shivering.

"Oh, that must have been cute!" Mutsumi exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

"Uh ... I don't really like ... cats," Ranma managed, paling.

"Actually, he's terrified to death of them," Keitaro said helpfully, earning himself a glare from the martial artist.

"Anyway," Ranma overrode the manager, shaking his head. "When she left..."

XXX

She sat on a rock, staring at the sunset in the distance. "Shan Pu?" Ranma asked worriedly in Mandarin, looking at the girl. "Is ... something wrong?"

She shook her head, smiling at him. "Yes, unfortunately."

"What is it?"

"It's been a lot longer than a month," she answered, uncurling and hopping to the ground near Ranma. "I ... liked spending time with you. But I need to go back. Otherwise..."

"I get the idea," he replied, sighing. "And ... I can't ... go back with you. But ... the time we spent together, it ... felt like we really were married. And I liked learning with you."

"You learn quickly," she said, smiling again. "Ranma ... the sun is setting, and this is ... the time that it should be done. I want to give you this." She produced a pair of glittering metallic bracers from her pack and sighed. "These ... are dragon hide armor. My great-grandmother said that she got them from another village in China, and this ... is the most important piece of my ... dowry. I want to give it to you now."

He accepted the bracers hesitantly, feeling the cool cloth-like substance between his fingers. "Shan Pu," he breathed, examining the material. Even if it wasn't dragon-hide, it was beautiful, and they felt much more durable than they looked. "This is... wonderful."

"Do you know what this means?" she asked, her voice catching.

"I ... what does this mean?" he asked, turning and looking into her eyes.

The last light of the dying sun reflected there, and they burned, with sorrow and intensity. "This means ... that I am divorcing you," she said quietly, the fire shimmering into a hundred facets, forming in tears that trickled down her face. "Take this to remember-" Her voice broke, and she nearly choked, closing her eyes. The hundred facets fell away, scattering a thousand droplets of fire across the ground. "To remember me," she sobbed, as the tears continued, until the fire vanished.

Ranma was speechless. He had known this was coming - they had planned it, after all. Both of them had agreed about it ... and yet ... he could see how much it hurt her. He could feel it too, after all. And she had given him such a priceless gift to thank him. What did he have to give to her?

Swallowing, he took the dragon's whisker from his hair, tentatively offering it to her. "I ... don't have anything nearly as nice to offer you," he managed. "But ... this is something that ... I would ... like you to have to remember me, too."

She shook her head, taking the whisker in her hands and wordlessly re-braiding Ranma's hair. Once it was done, he heard the hiss of something slicing through the air. He blinked, as she brought her hands from behind his back, and showed him nearly half of his pigtail. "This is ... tradition," she said. "Keep the whisker, Ranma, my former husband."

He was too stunned to protest. Too full of sorrow to feel angry that she'd cut off some of his hair.

Too confused to stop her before it was too late.

She was gone before he returned to the campsite, and by the time he considered following her, he realized what a bad idea it would be.

XXX

"When she left, she gave me these dragon-hide bracers to remember her," he said softly, indicating the bands on his wrists. "So now you know the story."

"So you're single now?" Mitsune asked, raising an eyebrow. His story certainly shed some light on the information Ukyou had given about Ranma's prior life, and it was something to consider.

"She left ... I guess about three years ago," Ranma said with a shrug. "Probably a little more. She never replied to my letter ... and I haven't seen her since."

"Oh, but that's cute," Mutsumi said, smiling. "She was very pretty, Ranma-kun. Do you still love her?"

"She was a nice girl," Ranma said quietly. "But ... that was a long time ago. Anyway, she's the one who taught me Mandarin."

"This is the story you couldn't tell us a few days ago? You didn't need to tell us that whole story just to tell us how you learned Mandarin, you know," Naru noted.

"Yeah, well, I figured I was going to have to explain it eventually anyway, ever since Kitsune tried to sneak my photo album out of my room to look through it herself," he replied, smirking at the woman in question.

"Busted!" Mitsune exclaimed, giggling nervously and blushing.

Ranma stretched, yawning quietly, and closed the photo album. "That's it for today - the rest of the pictures are just the different places we went - some nice shots of Hokkaido, and stuff. But that's the story."

"Wow," Shinobu said, smiling. "That's nice! I was afraid you had a sad and unfortunate past, but I'm glad that some good things happened to you!"

"Eh? I generally consider myself pretty lucky," Ranma said, shrugging. "I've got a pretty happy past, mostly. But, um, we're getting distracted. We should get back to our-"

"Oi!" Haruka called out, leaning into the room. "You want to earn a quick yen, Oe? Some delivery guys dropped off my new furniture, but it's at the bottom of the stairs."

Ranma raised an eyebrow, considering it, then shrugged again. "Okay," he replied, rising to his feet and vanishing into the hallway.

"Eh ... I could have done that for you, Haruka-san," Keitaro offered, frowning.

"Yeah, but he won't scratch anything up." She paused for a moment, considering something, then frowned, stealing a glance at Mutsumi before she focused her attention back on Keitaro. "And the lug thinks that he owes me for the beat up table and futon I unloaded on him."

"Oh, so you felt bad for taking advantage of him even more?" Mitsune asked, smirking.

Haruka coughed quietly, then cleared her throat, shooting Mitsune a level look. "Hush, you," she said. "Anyway, I have to tell Ranma where I want the new things to go."

"More heavy lifting!" Mitsune cheered. "I'll keep you company."

"How noble," Haruka drawled, turning around and walking down the hallway.

XXX

Motoko awoke slowly, blinking her eyes to banish the sleep still in them. A glance revealed that Suu was no longer there, though the futon was still warm where she had slept. Sitting up, she shook her head, quickly dressing and marching down the stairs.

It was early enough that almost everyone else would be asleep, the sun not yet even peeking over the horizon. Usually only Ranma was awake this early, and even then he seemed to prefer sleeping in when he could. Not, Motoko supposed, that she could blame him. He tended to work fairly hard, and stay up late studying.

He wasn't outside yet, which probably meant he was sleeping right then, too. Well, that just meant there was more time for her to warm up before he got downstairs. Her unarmed forms were improving under his guidance, though she'd seen him pick up more than a few tricks from her. The last time he'd snatched her sword, he'd managed to reproduce her air-slash technique. His barehanded ki-attack was beyond her at the moment, but he'd dismissed it as being designed specifically for himself.

That aside, she'd improvised at least one of her own, and thought she might be close to learning another ... but before that happened, she'd have to ... wonder at the large wooden deck covering what had once been one of the larger craters in the backyard. Had the construction crew left it before they departed?

"This is new," she mused, inspecting the neatly lined rows of planks and boards. There was a square section near the center, looking much like a trapdoor. Motoko approached it cautiously, seeing a strip of cloth lying on it. She picked it up in one hand and frowned at it curiously. It looked like a belt, but someone had covered it almost completely in... "Turtle food?" she mused.

"Motoko!" a voice called from the house, warning her. "Step away!" Suu rushed towards her, looking worried. The kendoka shrugged and stepped forward, forgetting the location of the trapdoor. It dropped out from under her, and her hands managed to tangle in the belt of turtle-food before she landed roughly, thanks to the fact that she couldn't see what was beneath her.

"Suu! What's going on here?" she yelled.

"It's a super-special training technique," the girl explained, peering down from the trapdoor above. "I got it from the internet, but I changed my mind after I saw what a Ranma did around cats. I'll get help!" The girl's footsteps echoed across the planks above her, pattering quickly away.

"Training technique?" Motoko wondered quietly, as her vision adjusted enough for her to see light coming through the boards above. A sudden bolt of terror ran down her spine at a sudden thought. "Wait, what does this have to do with Ranma and... Suu! Let me out of here right now!"

Light flickered on in the form of an aged computer monitor of some sort, spilling illumination across the floor of the pit. Irregularly spaced and sized stones lined nearly the entire floor, but it appeared to be otherwise empty. Except for the pair of glowing eyes atop the monitor...

Motoko took a nervous step backwards as the eyes widened and she was able to make out the tired expression of what looked like a sleepy turtle. The monitor made an unhealthy noise and spat out a cloud of smoke, completely waking the sleepy turtle up, as more lights came on.

As more light poured into the pit, Motoko realized with horror that each of the stones was actually another turtle.

XXX

Keitaro made a face at the rising sun, brushing his teeth. It was too early to be awake after so much studying. And when he thought about it, there was still so much more studying to do. He shook his head, spitting into the sink, then rinsing his mouth out.

"Ah, another peaceful day," he said aloud, as Shinobu sleepily trudged to the sink to brush her own teeth.

She offered a quiet nod at that, as a bloodcurdling shriek of terror rent the morning calm. A rounded blur streaked with black shot past both of them so quickly that Shinobu's hair fluttered in its wake for a few seconds before it subsided. "Good morning, Oe-san," she said tiredly to no one in particular.

"Uh-oh," Keitaro whimpered. "Oe-san?"

The blur was gone, of course, and that meant Keitaro would have to run after it to see what had happened.

He reached the side balcony in time to watch Ranma descend on a wooden platform, arms first. The wood seemed to collectively tremble for a moment, then explode into a massive cloud of splinters and dust. The shockwave threw Suu, standing nearby, off her feet, and rained fragments of the deck across the already ruined yard.

Before the dust and debris had even stopped falling, Ranma leapt up out of the pit, Motoko in his arms. He bounced across the yard for a moment to collect Suu, then landed on the balcony next to Keitaro. Suu spun in place when he set her down, falling to sit on her backside. "Ow," she protested dizzily.

Motoko was wide-eyed and trembling in Ranma's arms, and he looked at her in concern. "Figures the first night I get to sleep as a guy something goes crazy," he mumbled. "Motoko-chan? Are you okay?"

The kendoka blinked, seeming to return to her senses, and suffused bright red, embarrassed. Almost faster than Keitaro's eyes could track, Motoko's hand slapped Ranma across the face. "Set me down!" she demanded.

Ranma obligingly dropped her, though she caught herself, still blushing. "You're welcome," he said dryly, the tone underscored by the bright red handprint on his face.

"Um ... sorry," she managed, staring at her feet. "I was ... not thinking clearly."

Ranma shrugged, shooting an annoyed glance at Suu, who had recovered and was now looking between the two in confusion. "It's okay," he said, sighing. "I know what it's like." He turned away from her and focused his full attention on Suu. "Don't do that again. And if you find that book again - burn it."

"It was an accident!" she protested. "I was going to get rid of it ... but I forgot, and Motoko fell in on her own."

The kendoka blushed darkly and stared at her feet.

Ranma blinked, adjusting that information. "Accident?" he asked quietly. "Motoko-chan? Did you really fall in?"

"I was ... distracted," she managed, not raising her head.

"Well ... I do the same thing around ... cats," he reasoned. "Are you okay, then?"

"I'm fine," she assured him, raising her head and nodding. "Suu is a good person - I do not believe she would do such a thing if she knew it would ... bother or hurt someone else."

The girl nodded quickly. "I got the instructions off the internet," she said. "But then I thought it might be a bad idea, so I decided to test Ranma with cats first ... and then I was distracted." She looked at the girl thoughtfully. "I'm sorry, Motoko. I didn't mean for you to fall in."

"Um ... there was no harm done," the kendoka mumbled.

"Ranma seems to be much more frightened of cats than you are of turtles, anyway," Suu said, shrugging. "I'll come up with something better to surprise you next time!" Smiling at both of the martial artists, she dashed away to her room.

Both Ranma and Motoko stared after her, blinking.

"Good morning," Keitaro offered helpfully.

"I suppose," Motoko hesitantly agreed.

"What ... was that all about?" Ranma wondered, scratching his head.

"I think Suu just wants to help you two train," Keitaro said, shrugging.

"Uh ... okay," Ranma agreed, shrugging his shoulders uncomfortably. "Um... you ready for today's jog?"

Keitaro frowned, glancing towards the corridor that Suu had vanished down. "I'll ask her to stay out of your way while you're training, if you'd like," he said after a moment. "I might do that instead. There's no telling what she might come up with next."

"It could be for the best," Motoko reasoned, paling when she considered what Keitaro said.

XXX

"Suu? Are you in there?" Keitaro asked, trying the door to Suu's room and finding it locked.

Still dressed in her pajamas, Naru sleepily looked at the young man as he knocked anxiously on Suu's door.

There was no answer from within, except for the quiet clattering of things being shuffled around - or perhaps assembled. A line of flashing light across the bottom edge of the door suggested a welding torch, despite the strange colors that were appearing.

"Suu, could you please let me in?" he called more loudly. "I'd like to talk to you."

"I see," Naru said coolly. "So you think you can sneak around with another girl just because it's early?"

"Eh?" Keitaro noised, turning to look at her. "Uh, no, it's not like that, you see-"

Naru smiled sweetly at Keitaro and grabbed his hand, quickly hauling him outside. "I understand," she said, coming to a quick halt at the front door, where Ranma and Motoko were standing, the pair of them looking concerned. "Er ... is something wrong?"

Motoko nodded slightly and asked, "Did you have any luck, Kanrinin?"

"Um, not really," Keitaro answered, shaking his head. "Naru thought I was trying to do something else."

"Oh." Motoko bit her lip, then shook her head. "Otohime should be here any moment-"

"I'm here!" the girl said, looking slightly winded, but still smiling cheerfully from the top of the stairs. "Oh, Naru and Keitaro were in the middle of something! How naughty!"

"Gah!" Naru managed, dropping Keitaro's hand and blushing darkly. "I swear I was only hauling him outside to have my way with him!"

Ranma and Motoko shared a blink, then took a step back, eyeing Naru appraisingly. "Um, we'll go jogging without you, today," Motoko suggested. "You two ... uh ... have fun."

"Wait! That's not what I meant!" Naru protested. The other three had already fled before she could explain, vanishing down the stairs without a backward glance. "Keitaro ... this is all your fault!"

"What did I do?" he whimpered.

Naru deflated, still blushing, and looked away from Keitaro, unable to meet his eyes. "Anyway, what's this about Suu?" she asked, shaking away her embarrassment.

"Um ... she dropped Motoko into a pit of turtles on accident," he offered. "I think... She wants to come up with something else to help them, but I'm worried that she might get in their way."

Naru blinked at that. "Is that all? Well, Motoko and Oe-san do some crazy things ... it's probably for the best." She shook her head, frowning. "And now she won't answer her door? What do you suppose is wrong?"

"I don't know," Keitaro admitted, sighing. "But she won't let me into her room or talk to me at all."

"Well, let me try to talk to her," Naru said confidently.

XXX

Another dreary day of school...

Shinobu sighed, looking upwards. The weather was beginning to turn again, as well. Dark, clouded skies tended to add to the atmosphere of dreariness.

No, it wasn't that bad, but as long as Shinobu could remember, Suu had never missed a day of school. Whatever the commotion had been before she left for her classes had obviously bothered the other girl. Shinobu frowned, wondering what had happened, and looked up at the stairs leading to the Hinata-Sou.

Maybe she had cheered up already. And ... if she hadn't, maybe Shinobu could make Suu something. There was a recipe for banana curry - no one else liked it, but Suu thought it was wonderful.

She nodded to herself, climbing the rest of the stairs, pausing in her room only long enough to change out of her school clothes. Once she was dressed in the outfit she preferred, she walked down the hallway towards Suu's room, freezing in surprise when she saw Keitaro and Naru leaning against the wall on either side of the door, arms crossed and features locked in a determined set.

"Um ... is something wrong?" she finally managed, looking between the two in concern.

Naru looked up, relaxing her expression, and sighed. "Suu won't come out of her room to talk to us," she explained.

"We're not really sure what's going on," Keitaro added morosely.

"Oh ... I ... see," Shinobu said quietly. "Um ... I'll be in the kitchen, then, if you need me."

She retreated to her favorite room of the house, frowning thoughtfully. Back to her original plan, then. Hopefully Suu could be coaxed out with her favored banana curry.

She set about mixing the ingredients, and considered what to make for everyone else for dinner. Normal curry? That would be simple enough, really. It would even leave her more time to take care of her homework, which was probably for the best.

Nodding to herself, she turned off the stove. It was ready now, just needing to be served. It was, after all, just enough for a snack - she'd set about making dinner later. Though the question at the moment was really how to get it to Suu, more than anything else.

A large grating set into the floor suddenly swung upwards, clattering against the floor as it flipped over completely, and Shinobu's eyes widened as Sarah climbed out, peering around the kitchen curiously. "Ah! Sarah, you shouldn't play in the ventilation system!" she exclaimed.

"It's not the ventilation system," the smaller girl replied, grinning. "It's a secret passage. I've got all of them mapped out - they go into every room!"

"But... Every room?" Shinobu asked, mulling that last over. "Okay, then, can ... you show me the way to Suu's room from there?"

Sarah considered this for a moment, then nodded, producing a flashlight from her outfit's front pocket. "Leave it to me!" she enthused. "Ready?"

"Just a moment," Shinobu answered, hurriedly packing the banana curry into a sealed dish, and then wrapping a pair of chopsticks in a napkin. "Okay, I'm ready."

She hurried to Sarah's side, peering into the dark, mysterious depths of the passageway and swallowing nervously. Sarah grinned, climbing down - there were ladder rungs set into the sides of the shaft, cleverly hidden from casual observation.

In due course, the pair had reached the bottom and then proceeded to crawl through a network of tunnels, Sarah pausing on occasion to consult her hand drawn map. "I think it's this way," she said, pointing to an open space ahead of them, illuminated by the flashlight. "Or ... the next one to the right. I'm not sure."

"I'll ... try it," Shinobu said, crawling forward. There was a trapdoor, labeled clearly in the beam of light, though it only said, 'trapdoor,' and offered no other useful indicators. She set the sealed dish to one side of the panel and pushed down with both hands on the center of it carefully. It gave slightly, then sprang back.

Nodding in determination, while Sarah watched, she pressed down harder, leaning with all of her weight on the wooden panel.

XXX

"...I swear it's not like that!" Ranma protested, turning to look at Mutsumi and Motoko.

"You don't seem to mind touching me, Oe-san," Mutsumi said, giggling quietly. "Every day, in fact."

"It's not like that!" he protested again, waving his hands.

Mutsumi adopted a curious expression and cocked her head to one side. "So, you don't like touching me, then?"

"I-" He cut off what he was going to say, and stopped to consider things.

Motoko crossed her arms over her chest, curious at this new interplay.

"Well," he temporized, "I'm ... doing it to try and help you, not for fun. I mean ... it's ... not that I wouldn't ... like to ... um ... normally ... but..." He scratched the back of his head, staring at his feet. "Well, I mean, if I really wanted to, I guess I could just get some cold water ... but that's not the point." He shook his head again and gesticulated with both hands in front of him, "I don't think about it like that when I'm helping you. I mean, I'm not that desperate to try and do something perverted, even if I don't exactly have girls falling over themselves for me-"

A square section of the ceiling flipped downward at that precise moment, and a panicked Shinobu tumbled free, landing squarely in Ranma's extended arms.

"... or maybe I do, but that's still not the point," he grumped.

"Um ... hello, Oe-san," Shinobu said timidly.

Another new interplay to observe, though Motoko was more interested in the panel swinging from the ceiling at the moment. Sarah peeked down from the darkness, obviously curious, but said nothing.

Ranma nodded at the girl. "Hi, Shinobu-chan. How was school?"

"It was ... okay," she replied slowly. "I was going to try and get Suu out of her room."

"So the ceiling thing..."

"Um, I was looking for a secret passage there."

"My, Oe-san, you should let her down, she might get the wrong idea," Mutsumi giggled.

"No!" Shinobu yelped.

Mutsumi and Ranma's eyes widened marginally at this. "Er..." Ranma managed, his face reddening.

Shinobu blushed brightly and quickly asked, "Could you help me up into the passageway again, instead?"

"Oh ... er ... right," he replied, tossing her into the air slightly and hoisting her by her waist until she was able to grip the lower lip of the trapdoor. Once she was hanging there, he pushed upwards on her feet, helping her back into the ceiling. "Good luck," he advised.

Shinobu nodded, waving from the opening before she grabbed a small rope handle and pulled the trapdoor shut again.

"You must get to touch a lot of cute girls," Mutsumi said quietly, offering Motoko a mischievous smile while Ranma stared at the ceiling.

XXX

Face still burning from embarrassment, Shinobu crawled along after Sarah, who indicated another trapdoor. "This time for sure," she said, marking her map.

Shinobu sighed, setting the curry bowl to one side and then squirming about until she could drop her feet on the trapdoor. It swung open without quite as much effort as the previous trapdoor, and she peeked over the edge cautiously. The muffled thump hadn't been enough to alert Suu, who was sitting at her desk in the corner, head bowed slightly. Flashing lights and soft noises emanated from behind her, though Shinobu couldn't quite make out the source.

Nodding decisively, she grabbed the end of the rope, which was secured on one end between the trapdoor's hinges, and on the other through a ring on the opposite edge. There was enough slack in the rope that Shinobu guessed it was designed to be used to climb down, as well as pull the trapdoor shut again.

Gritting her teeth, she swung through the opening, dangling for a long moment over the floor before she let herself drop the last centimeters to the ground. From there, she peered around the veritable jungle of plants that Suu had placed throughout the room, until she was able to spot Suu again. It had been easier from the trapdoor's superior height ... more places needed trapdoor access in the ceilings, she decided, glancing upwards. If she ever built her own home, it would be riddled with secret passages - Hina-san certainly knew what she was doing when she set about designing the inn.

Sarah dropped the banana curry down, startling Shinobu out of her reverie. Dismissing the daydream, she managed to carefully catch the packaged meal, before Sarah gave her a thumbs up and then pulled the trapdoor shut. Steeling her reserve, she crept through the jungle until she reached Suu's desk, buried in a far corner. The girl was mumbling quietly under her breath, intent on her computer, which was still making all sorts of loud noises.

"Kaora-san?" Shinobu asked in a tremulous voice.

The light-haired girl ignored her.

Stepping forward, Shinobu placed a hand on Suu's shoulder gently. The other girl startled, and tapped a key on the keyboard quickly, turning to look up. Blinking, she pulled off a pair of headphones so tiny that Shinobu hadn't even noticed them before, as the noises intensified. "Shinobu?" Suu asked, turning the volume down. "Is it time for school already?"

"Ah ... you missed school, actually," Shinobu said, giggling quietly. "What have you been up to?"

"Oh, well, I was going to use my computer for something ... but then I got distracted by a game of Super Tetris vs. Columns IV: Mega Death Championship Tournament Edition Turbo - Online," Suu explained. She blinked, glancing at a clock. "Wow. This update is taking way longer than I thought it would. I'm feeling kind of hungry... And how did you get here, Shinobu?"

"I used a secret passage," she explained, offering what she hoped was a warm smile. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Suu cheered, smiling.

XXX

Keitaro looked up in surprise as Suu's door slid open. Naru straightened herself from where she had begun to doze in her vigil, and the pair looked at the pale-haired girl expectantly.

"I'm back!" she exclaimed, grinning.

"You had us worried!" Naru exclaimed, smiling. "What was that all about?"

"I was just playing a game," she said dismissively. "But my computer was being slow. Motoko-chan doesn't have to worry," she said, seeing the kendoka standing nearby. "I won't get in the way of her training anymore."

"Ah ... just ... that's fine," Motoko said, shaking her head. "I ... thank you, Suu-chan. I appreciate that."

"No problem!" Suu exclaimed cheerfully. "I'll eat any turtles that come near you all up, starting with that one!" She eyed Tamago hungrily.

"Auuugh! No, Suu-chan, don't eat Tamago!" Shinobu pleaded. The turtle nodded emphatically from atop Keitaro's head.

Suu giggled, nodding. "Okay... For now."

XXX

Ranma leafed through a book, frowning intently.

"More studying?" Mitsune asked. "What are they quizzing you on now ... 'Your Lawn and You: A Guide to Yard Maintenance?'"

Ranma looked up from the book and shook his head. "Nah," he said, closing it. "Just wondering about the yard - it got all torn up and everything. I want to see about fixing it so I can undo all the damage I caused before I leave," he replied simply. "It's also one of the most boring books I've ever read. I doubt I need half of what I've read already to get the lawn back into shape."

Mitsune nodded thoughtfully, then grinned. "Mind if I use it for firewood?"

Blinking, Ranma turned a thoughtful gaze over the book, then shook his head. "Not just yet. Once I'm done with it."

"Phooey. Want to help me look for firewood, then?" she asked hopefully.

"Eh ... what for?" Ranma asked, furrowing his brow.

"We have a ceremony," Mitsune explained, holding up a small handful of firewood. "We need fuel for the fire for our big pot - we make soup for everyone, and drink until we drop!"

Ranma stretched, rising to his feet, and nodded, setting the book on the deck he had been sitting on. "Firewood," he mused. "Should be plenty of deadfalls. Where do we take it all?"

Mitsune led the way, picking out the pieces and having him carry them. When she decided he had gathered enough, she led him to the pot. He blinked, surprised at how large it was - nearly the size of a standard furo - and added the firewood he had hauled to a nearby stack. "That's a big pot," he said aloud.

Shinobu nodded, standing on a crate to be high enough to stir the mixture. Of course, the paddle she stirred it with resembled nothing as much as a full-sized oar. Everyone but Haruka had already gathered around, enjoying the ambiance.

"It's a yearly tradition, but we skipped it two years in a row," Mitsune explained. "The old pot cracked, and we finally got this new one."

"I'm not certain it's very good," Mutsumi said apologetically, shaking her head. "But I brought watermelon!"

"Oh, don't worry about the pot," Mitsune said, shaking her head. "It'll be fine! But, anyway, why don't you have a seat?"

"I brought some drinks," Haruka said, approaching the group, then turning to look at Mutsumi speculatively. "Hmm," she mused.

"Ah, Haruka-san? What are you doing?" Keitaro asked, glancing between the two.

"Oh! That's the kind of sake I like!" Mutsumi exclaimed, pointing to the bottle in Haruka's hand.

Haruka raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Think you can drain it all in one go?"

"Your sake says goodbye!" the girl cheered, as she obligingly took the bottle and, in a surprisingly short amount of time, drained it completely.

"Ah! My sake!" Haruka protested, eyes widening. "Well, that's okay, I brought an extra because we have an extra person."

"That looks easy," Ranma said stubbornly. "Can I see the other bottle?"

Haruka narrowed her eyes and grudgingly handed it over. Ranma replicated Mutsumi's feat, then grinned, handing the empty bottle back. "Hey, that wasn't so bad," he said, blinking blearily at the woman. "Say, Haruka, you never told me you had a sister."

The woman sighed, shaking her head. "I should have known better," she mourned. "I'm going to get some more for us, Kitsune. Keep an eye on these two. They're liable to go through all the beer I brought up before I get back."

Mitsune nodded, while Haruka retreated down the stairs. Ranma shook his head, looking towards Mitsune. "So pretty ... but so cold ... so very ... very cold," he mumbled, before he collapsed to the ground.

Mutsumi looked at the fallen man in consternation, then knelt at his side and shook him gently. "Ranma-kun?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

He opened his eyes briefly and shook his head. "I taste ... metal." That done, he passed out again.

"Um ... Ranma-kun, can you give me your light show again?" Mutsumi asked, shaking him slightly.

"He's come for me, girl. It's my time," he mumbled, shaking his head.

"Please?" Mutsumi asked, clasping Ranma's hand to her chest.

"Okay," he grumbled, his head lolling to one side. In a second, the two of them were enveloped in an aura of blue flame, exploding away from the pair and illuminating the area clearly. It was enough to drown out the light from the chain of lanterns strung overhead. The flames burned brightly for a long minute, then flickered out, Ranma seeming to recover his senses at the end of it.

"Ooh!" Suu cooed, wide-eyed. "Ranmas need to be exposed to alcohol more often!"

"Ah ... no, actually," Keitaro said, laughing nervously.

"If anything they should be kept away from it for their own safety," Naru added.

"Damn!" he swore, struggling to sit up, and leaning against the side of the pot. "I still can't drink anything without falling down!"

"It takes practice," Mutsumi advised. "Now I'm not even tipsy."

"Oh, right ... sorry abou... Wait ... how did it affect you?" he asked. He scratched behind one ear, considering that, then shook his head. "Never mind. I'm sorry about that."

"No problem!" Mitsune said, patting him on the shoulder companionably. "I'll protect you, Ranma. Just show me where that bad alcohol is, and I'll make it all go away!"

"That's just an excuse for you to get drunk!" Keitaro protested.

"That was fun!" Mutsumi cheered, turning her attention to the soup pot.

Ranma shook his head again to clear it of the effects of his short-lived drinking binge, while Mitsune sat nearby, happily taking one of the beer cans that Haruka had brought in hand.

In the meantime, Mutsumi filled a tureen and carried it to where Naru and Keitaro were standing. "Keitaro-kun, Naru-chan, you should try some," she encouraged.

"Ah ... thank you," Keitaro said, chuckling quietly and holding out a small bowl. Naru nodded, holding out her bowl as well. Mutsumi carefully ladled some of the soup from her tureen into the container, then filled one for herself, and set the tureen aside.

Naru blinked, frowning. "Um..."

"This is really good!" Keitaro cheered.

"Yep!" Mutsumi said, sampling her own bowl.

"Hello?" Naru asked timidly.

Mutsumi's eyes widened slightly, as she turned her attention to the large soup pot, where something large had just bobbed to the surface. "What's this?" she asked, prodding it with a pair of chopsticks. "It doesn't look like meat or a vegetable."

She expertly snagged the thing and lifted it clear of the soup pot, only to lose her grip and send the entire soggy bundle splattering down onto Ranma's head. He blinked as hot soup ran down his face, and sighed. "Bad spot to rest," he grumped, taking the thing into his hands and examining it.

"Oh, isn't that Liddo-kun?" Mutsumi asked, inspecting what Ranma recognized as a stuffed animal of some sort.

"Is it?" he asked. "This looks just like-"

Naru's eyes widened at the creature, and she yelled, "What! How did that get in there?"

"-the one in Naru's room," he finished, as she plucked it from his hands and dashed to the nearby stream to wash it off.

"Suu! This isn't supposed to go in darkness stew!" she complained, gently scrubbing the stuffed animal.

"But it looked so delicious," Suu plaintively defended herself. "What a shame..."

Ranma blinked the soup from his eyes, nodding thankfully when Mutsumi offered him a towel. After rising to his feet, he yawned slightly, then shook his head. "I shouldn't have drank so much," he mumbled. "I'm going to clean up and get some sleep. Later, everyone."

"Oh, wait!" Mutsumi protested, grabbing his hand before he could walk away. "You haven't tasted the soup yet!"

"I got enough already," he replied dourly, handing Mutsumi's towel back to her. "Thanks, though."

"Oh, well, at least take a watermelon with you," she insisted, taking one from her stack and pressing it into his hands. He blinked at the watermelon, then nodded, waving quickly before he vanished into the night. Haruka returned at about the same time, glancing back over her shoulder at Ranma's departing figure.

"No wonder," the woman grumped. "You two have enough tolerance that even all that doesn't make you drunk."

XXX

After Ranma had left, Keitaro and Mutsumi had reminisced on the anime that had spawned Naru's stuffed animal. Naru couldn't help but smile - everything was going well, and everyone was having fun.

Well, except for Ranma, but then, Naru figured he was lucky to have imbibed as heavily as he had, and still be able to walk.

Shaking his head, Keitaro sighed in contentment at her side.

"Uh-oh," Mitsune said, prodding at the mixture in the pot with a ladle. "Looks like we're out of meat."

"We are? Well, then I'm going to go get some more ingredients," Mutsumi announced, smiling brightly.

"Hmm?" Keitaro glanced at Mutsumi, who had gotten at least tipsy again, then nodded. "I'll help you," he offered.

"What? Well, I'll come, too," Naru decided.

"No, no," Keitaro insisted, waving at her. "You stay here - have fun! We'll be right back."

"You don't ... want me?" she said quietly, though they were already out of earshot.

Mitsune sidled up to Naru after the pair had receded into the night. "Aren't you jealous?" she asked, looking into the darkness where the pair had vanished. "Mutsumi seems pretty close to Keitaro ... and after you admitted your feelings, too!"

"Well..." She blushed, bowing her head. It was too late to deny it, considering she'd already confessed once. "Um..." Her frantically searching eyes seized upon the pair of bags that Keitaro and Mutsumi had forgotten to bring with them. "They ... forgot their bags! I'll have to check up on them, yeah!"

Before Mitsune could say anything else, she gathered up the two bags and dashed off after them, into the darkness.

She slowed down once she left the lanterns' aura of light, not wanting to trip, and considered it. She had thought Keitaro liked her - he certainly seemed to, at least. But why did he want to run off with Mutsumi, and not her? Mutsumi was pretty ... and ... Naru herself hadn't exactly made a good showing towards demonstrating to him that she cared about him, recently.

Come to think of it, the last time that they'd really done anything was when they reviewed the photo album in her room, and then ... Mutsumi had arrived. And before that was the date that ... when she thought about it, she had ruined by thinking Keitaro and Ranma were lovers.

She blinked at that. Was he upset about that, perhaps? Was he ... choosing Mutsumi over her? "That could never happen," she said aloud, trying to convince herself. She blinked, as she entered the radius of light emitted from the light within the inn.

Silhouetted neatly, were Mutsumi and Keitaro, in an awkward embrace on the floor. "Ah!" Keitaro exclaimed, jumping back. Naru ducked behind a tree, eyes wide, and took an unsteady breath. "Sorry, I didn't mean to touch you like that!"

"Oh, it's okay," Mutsumi replied, giggling. "If you hadn't caught me, I would have hit my head. You're so manly!"

"Ack!" Naru whispered into the darkness, one hand pressing against her chest.

She waited until she heard their footsteps approach and sneaked around the tree, slipping into the inn once the sounds of their conversation were lost to darkness. So that's how it was, after all, she realized sadly.

She'd had her chance, and lost it ... and was given it back, when Keitaro turned out not to be gay. But she hadn't pursued him when she got the second opportunity ... and Mutsumi had stolen it away. Swallowing nervously, she crept into her room, now glad for the carefully repaired hole in the floor.

But her room felt off somehow - too many memories of studying with Keitaro there. Shaking her head, she fumbled for the secret passage in her wall, crawling upward, until she found herself on the roof. This would be better, all things considered. Keitaro and his new lover wouldn't run into her here.

"Oh," she said softly, shaking her head at the stars above. "I'm such a fool!"

She heard a grunt nearby and stiffened, until a familiar voice asked, "Watermelon?"

"Haruka-san?" Naru asked, squinting into the darkness atop the roof.

"Nope."

"Oe-san?" she guessed again, frowning.

"Yup," she replied, as Naru felt a wedge of watermelon pressed into her hand. "I like to look at the stars."

"Why ... aren't you with the others?" she asked, sniffling slightly, and waiting for her eyes to adjust somewhat before she took a bite of her watermelon. Mutsumi's watermelon ... it was just as sweet as Mutsumi was to Keitaro, she thought bitterly.

"When I burn off the alcohol the hangover kicks in right away," Ranma replied. "It's dark and quiet here, and the watermelon's got lots of fluid - which is good when you're hung over."

"Oh," Naru replied quietly, wiping away at the tears she could feel forming in her eyes and grateful for the cloak of night.

"Sheesh," Ranma grumped. "I haven't felt that much depression since..." She trailed off and sighed. "You okay?"

"W...what do you mean?" Naru asked, trying to put more courage into her voice than she felt. "I just ... felt like looking at the stars, too."

"And you wanted to climb up here in the darkness to do it?" Ranma asked skeptically. "Naru-san... What's bothering you?"

"Um, say, Oe-san, why are you a girl right now?" Naru asked, blinking away newly forming tears.

"Didn't feel like soaking," Ranma replied blandly. "And since I sobered up as a guy, turning into a girl lets me hydrate myself faster - smaller body, so I need less water."

"That's fascinating," Naru said, managing to keep the quaver from her voice.

"Well, it's my best guess, anyway," Ranma admitted. "But you're avoiding my question."

"Why should I tell you?" Naru asked hotly. "You hide most of your past from us, after all."

Ranma chuckled quietly. "That's true," she said.

Naru blinked away her tears in the silence, taking another bite of the sweet watermelon and wondering when Ranma would say something else.

Finally, she decided to break the silence on her own. "Not going to offer to trade secrets?" she asked, looking towards the dark lump against the roof that she recognized as Ranma, now that her eyes were adjusting.

"I suppose we could," she replied after a moment, shrugging. "But if you don't want to talk, you don't have to."

"Oh," Naru sighed, setting the watermelon to one side. It was hardly something she wanted to talk about with Ranma - she was practically a complete stranger compared to everyone else. "Do you ... know where you're going to move?"

"Not exactly," Ranma replied after a pause. "I have another month and a half ... I'll probably just camp outside the city and ride my bike for a bit." There was another long pause. "I seem to have trouble dealing with people, for some reason."

Naru shook her head and sighed. What would it hurt? Ranma would be moving out in a while anyway ... and if she didn't talk to someone she felt like she would explode. Mitsune and Haruka were both at the soup-pot, and Keitaro's grandmother hadn't come back in over a year. "I ... finally realized that I really liked Keitaro," she said quietly.

Ranma shifted her position, enough that Naru could hear it, but not see it.

Taking the silence as encouragement, Naru licked her lips and added, "But ... I think it's too late, now."

"Why do you say that?" Ranma asked softly.

"I ... think that he got upset ... because I didn't tell him anything when I had a chance," she confessed, sniffling. "And now ... I think he likes Mutsumi more than me."

Ranma's eyes flashed in the darkness, light reflecting from the stars briefly. "I don't think it's like that," she replied slowly. "It seems to me ... that Keitaro really likes you. But ... I don't know if he can tell how you feel."

"But he and Mutsumi were... They..." Naru sighed, shaking her head. "He grabbed Mutsumi, and she hardly seemed to mind."

"Wait, he grabbed her?"

"It... I think she fell, and he caught her... But she didn't complain when he touched her," Naru clarified, realizing she didn't fully understand the situation herself. "And when he ... does something perverted like that with me, I beat him up."

"Um..." Ranma seemed hesitant, then sighed. "It's not like he's constantly putting his foot into his mouth - I don't think he's stopped liking you, Naru. All that's different is that ... uh ... Mutsumi doesn't hit him." There was a moment of silence while the smaller girl looked away, towards the twinkling stars. "I don't think it really means that he ... likes her."

"But ... it could mean that she likes him," Naru said quietly, sniffling again.

"So? What does that have to do with anything?" Ranma asked, yawning slightly. "You like him, he likes you ... what's the problem?"

"She likes him too!" she protested. "And he ... might start liking her more, too."

"I can't imagine," Ranma said dryly. "Look, if he likes you, he likes you. Some other girl isn't probably going to change his mind, and if she does, then he probably didn't like you that much anyway."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Naru growled, halfheartedly throwing her watermelon rind at Ranma's head. It bounced off with a satisfyingly moist splatter.

"You're welcome," Ranma replied flatly. "But think about this for a while - if you like someone, and they like you, the only way I can think of that you can screw it up ... is by never telling them how you really feel."

"What?"

"Hey, you told me you like Keitaro, huh? Have you ever told him?"

"I... No, of course not." Naru shook her head and sighed. "I mean ... he's a pervert, why would I tell him?"

"Sounds to me like you aren't even sure you like him," Ranma accused.

Not even thinking, Naru lunged, and socked Ranma squarely in the jaw as the smaller girl turned to look at her. "How would you know?" Naru snapped.

XXX

"Hey, Aniki, do you have a chain-breaker?" Ranma asked, shaking his hands and then frowning at the oil and grease stains on them.

"Sure thing," Kintaro replied cheerfully, rifling through his pack for a moment before handing Ranma what looked like a demented interpretation of a corkscrew.

"How does this work?" Shampoo asked, kneeling on the other side of the bike and peering at the device curiously.

"Well, you open it like this," Ranma explained, loosening the device. "Then you set the chain on these supports here." He lined the device up carefully and nodded. "Now when you tighten it, this little post will force out the peg that holds two links of the chain together. We can repeat the process down the line, and remove the crushed section of chain."

"I've got some spare links," Kintaro announced. "Looks like a dozen centimeters of chain or so. How many do you think you'll need?"

"Seven links," Ranma replied, loosening the chain-breaker and moving it further down. "We can reverse the process to add new links to the chain, so we should have this thing in riding condition pretty quickly." He looked up from where he was working on Shampoo's bike and offered her a smile. She didn't react, mesmerized by the repair process.

"It is good," she said after a moment. "I was afraid we would need to replace it."

"Your Japanese is improving," Ranma noted, smiling. "Aniki, can you salvage the rim?"

"It's bent back into the right shape, I just need to retune the spokes," he said, fishing another tool from his backpack. "Should last for a month or so - long enough that we can pick up a replacement in town. The treads on these tires weren't meant for this kind of riding, anyway."

Shampoo clapped her hands together excitedly. "Thank you, Ranma, Aniki," she cheered, giggling.

"No sweat!" Ranma replied, despite the fact that the sun was causing him to sweat quite a bit. He eyed his grease-marked hands and flinched as Shampoo reached across the bike's frame to dab at his forehead with a handkerchief. "Thanks."

"We work together," she said, grinning. She turned to Kintaro, who was tightening the spokes on her tire carefully. "Aniki, can we stop in a town tonight?" She had taken to addressing him the same way that Ranma had, after the first week or so of travelling together.

Kintaro raised an eyebrow thoughtfully, then nodded. "We need to get some more supplies," he admitted. "I wonder what we can learn this time."

"To cook," Shampoo insisted, smirking at Ranma.

"I can already cook," Kintaro protested, smiling along with the other two. "But I bet we could find something."

Ranma nodded, wiping his hands on a dirty washrag. Was this contentment, he wondered? His past was still there, but now... Now he had His older brother, and Shampoo. Even ... if she were more a friend in reality than ever a wife...

There was something about it that he liked. Something about it that he liked a lot.

XXX

Ranma tumbled over and rolled across a number of tiles before sprawling to a halt. She groaned incoherently and did not rise.

Naru blushed fiercely, realizing what she had done and quickly scurried over to Ranma's side, helping her sit up and not noticing a quiet click from somewhere behind her. "Are you okay?" she asked frantically, pulling Ranma's face close to hers to try and inspect it in the starlight. She swallowed nervously and let Ranma pull away when nothing became immediately visible to her poor night vision. "You could be right," she said, sighing. "I mean ... I ... have to be honest with my feelings."

She looked Ranma straight in the eye, and nodded. "I'll come clean and admit my feelings then, Oe-san," she promised.

Ranma nodded vaguely, rubbing at her jaw, as a nearly invisible hatch settled back to the roof with a subdued thump. "Then, good luck," she said after a minute.

"And ... I'm really sorry about hitting you," Naru apologized.

Ranma looked away, shaking her head. "I'm not so good at advice for relationships," she said after a moment, drawing her knees to her chest and curling up slightly on the roof. "They say you learn from your mistakes, though." She shrugged. "I must be getting close to being a genius, now."

Naru raised an eyebrow. "What ... who are you seeing?" she asked. Her eyes widened in the darkness, and she gasped. "Wait, do you like Motoko-chan?"

"Huh?" Ranma asked unintelligently. She shook her head. "Eh ... she's my student, Narusegawa. I don't think it would be right to think of her like that." Ranma looked uncomfortable and sighed. "I don't really like ... anyone, right now. I'm more worried about getting into Todai."

"You... don't like anyone?" Naru asked, surprised. "Not at all?"

"Feh," Ranma grumped, climbing to her feet. "The last... My wife left me because we knew it would never work. Before that-" Her voice caught. When she spoke again, her voice was much thicker. "Anyway, it's not something I want to try for."

"But ... you really cared for your wife, didn't you?" Naru pressed.

"More than I ever managed to tell her," Ranma replied sadly. "'Course, by the time I figured it out, she was gone. And when I was ready to chase her, I realized she was right to leave. It ... wouldn't have worked in the grand scheme of things. You know. Some people make better friends, anyway." Ranma sighed. "I'm going to go to sleep. Be careful climbing off the roof in the dark."

Ranma turned away, but before she could re-enter the secret passage, Naru asked, "What about Kitsune, Oe-san?"

The girl paused and raised her gaze, considering. "I don't know," she finally said, shaking her head. "I don't ... know her well enough to say. Anything else?"

"Um ... good night, Oe-san," Naru said, shaking her head and sighing. Of course, as inept as the redhead claimed to be ... she had a good point. If she wanted to keep Keitaro ... she'd need to tell him how she felt. Keeping the truth from him just made it more likely he would find someone else. Mutsumi or otherwise.

XXX

After hearing someone fumble with the secret entrance above his head, Keitaro scrambled to get back to his room, safely hidden from Naru and Ranma. He turned on his light and slumped at his desk, wearily retrieving his photo-sticker book. "How could this happen?" he asked, turning it to the twin pictures of himself with Naru.

He had considered that a date - their first. The failed double-date with Ranma and Mitsune was their second.

Had he done something wrong? Had he pushed her away somehow?

Swallowing, his eyes searched the two pictures, as though they would provide a clue. But they hadn't.

He had returned to the small party only to find Naru missing, and no one sure where she had gone. After a moment of deliberation, he ran back to the inn to search for her - but she wasn't in her room. And when he had checked, Ranma's room was also empty.

So he had considered the roof, and climbed through the secret passages until he had cracked open the trapdoor. His night vision was better than most, but the night was moonless. It was still good enough, ultimately, to see Naru confessing, and it was her voice ... and Ranma's silhouette. The pigtail was unmistakable, even if the proportion appeared off - a trick of the starlight, and nothing more.

There was no question about who it had been, ultimately.

Sighing, he slumped backwards, laying on the floor, and staring at the ceiling listlessly.

"How?" he asked quietly. "I never even saw it coming..." 


	10. Winter Performance Part One

"You're probably all wondering why I've gathered you here right now," Keitaro said quietly, surveying his audience.

Silence greeted his solemnity, and he nodded, bowing his head.

"Recently, I've gone over the numbers again, and, unfortunately, the retrofit for the inn hit us a lot harder than I initially thought." He raised his head, putting on a firm, confident expression. "But, I'm sure we can get through this, somehow. All we need to do is to remember to stick together."

"I know what you're thinking," he said quickly, before he could be interrupted. "And we're not completely out of options yet."

He allowed the silence to stretch into a dramatic pause. "Um ... well, anyway, Tama, this is the part of the speech I can't figure out how to finish," he mumbled, slumping to the floor at his table.

The turtle chirped encouragement at him.

"I don't know what our other options are, really."

Keitaro raised his head nervously and surveyed the empty room. He and Tamago were the only beings present. For a moment Keitaro imagined the turtle looked surprised, but the sound of his door sliding open distracted him. "Oi, what's up, Keitaro?" Haruka asked, peering in.

"Huh?" he managed, blinking. "Oh, um ... I'm trying to figure out how to tell everyone some ... er ... bad news."

"Let me guess, short on money to run the inn after the repair work?"

He nodded sheepishly, trying to ignore the tremor of fear running up his spine.

Haruka began to smile softly. "I have just the thing, Keitaro," she assured him. "Now, do you remember the summer play I had everyone put on?"

"Yes?" he hazarded meekly. "Thankfully, that's all over now. A long forgotten memory that never needs to be dredged back up."

"Time for another one to raise funds," she announced.

Keitaro winced. "Um ... wouldn't it be easier to plead bankruptcy?"

"Not likely," Haruka drawled. "You go break the news to everyone, I'll pick out a script."

"Oh, boy," Keitaro whimpered.  


* * *

Diamonds in the Rough - Chapter Nine - Winter Performance (Part One)

Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The story of the heroic legend of Raiko and Sakata Kintoki as presented here is public domain. The easel is mine. That's all.

Notes: Divergences should become apparent as relevant. If you are not familiar with the heroic legend of Raiko and Sakata Kintoki, they are explained within these chapters.  


* * *

"... and that's the situation," Keitaro finished, watching the assembled tenants worriedly. "Um... I'm sorry about this."

"A play?" Ranma asked, the only one present not familiar with the last one. "I haven't done one of those since high school. You guys do this a lot?"

"They're fun!" Mitsune assured him, smiling happily. "Hopefully it'll be at least half as fun as the last one!"

"I can hardly wait," Keitaro and Naru said in unison, neither looking pleased at the thought.

"Which one will it be this time?" Suu asked, blinking. "Will it be the story of Keitaro?"

"For the last time, Suu-chan, Taro Urashima isn't me!" the manager protested.

"I must admit, I'm curious too," Motoko said quietly, arms crossed over her chest. "If this one is anything like the last..."

Shinobu turned her own gaze on Keitaro and asked, "What is the play going to be, Urashima-sempai?"

"I don't know," he admitted, shrugging his shoulders uncomfortably. "Haruka-san said she would choose."

"This time, it's going to be the heroic legend of Raiko," the woman announced cheerfully, stepping into the inn and setting a bag on the floor. "You all know the story, right?"

"Isn't that part of the legend of the golden boy?" Ranma asked, furrowing his brow.

"Sakata no Kintoki?" Haruka asked. "Yeah, he was one of Raiko's four retainers." She glanced over the rest of the tenants swiftly, and asked, "Is everyone ready to draw lots?"

They nodded, Keitaro and Naru more hesitantly than the rest.

"So, who is everyone?" Haruka asked, once all the roles were drawn.

"Apparently, I'm Sakata no Kintoki," Ranma answered, staring at his strip of paper.

"And I am to be Watanabe no Tsuna," Motoko added. "Another of Raiko's retainers."

"I'm Urabe no Suetake!" Suu cheered. "Who's that?"

"Another retainer," Mitsune answered. "And I'm Usui Sadamitsu, the last of the four."

Haruka glanced between three who had not spoken yet - Shinobu, Keitaro, and Naru. "Well?" she prompted them.

"Um ... I guess I'm Raiko," Keitaro said somewhat sheepishly. "What are the odds?"

Haruka smiled vaguely, but masked it swiftly and turned to Naru. "And you?" the older woman asked.

Naru frowned. "Umm, I'm a princess, apparently." She looked at Haruka. "I don't remember this story having a princess in it."

"I took some liberties," Haruka dismissed. "It's a play for kids, after all."

"So I'm the narrator?" Shinobu said, looking between her paper and Naru's. "That's all?"

"You could do worse," Haruka said, waving her own slip of paper. "I'll be playing Yamamba, Sakata no Kintoki's caretaker." She shot a speculative look at Ranma. "We may be short an actor or two, so some people might end up taking double roles. We'll see."

"Do we get to see the script?" Naru asked curiously. "I think I kind of know the original legend, but if you've made some changes, I'm not so sure what I should be doing."

"Sure thing," Haruka said, reaching into the bag she had set on the floor and handing out a booklet to each of the would-be actors. "Your show's going to be in about three days."

"No time to rehearse?" Keitaro asked worriedly.

"Didn't need it last time," Haruka said cheerfully. "Well, you have fun with those - I've got to run the teashop."

"Something else to study," Ranma mused, flipping his booklet open and scanning through it. "'Who are you? For I am Kaidomaru, and I speak to the creatures of this forest.'" He raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. "Huh. This is kind of interesting."

Shinobu quietly mumbled some of her lines. "'And today we present to you the heroic legend of Raiko and the ground spider,'" she quoted. Looking up, she asked, "Who's supposed to play the ground spider?"

"Or the goblins?" Keitaro added, frowning. "I suppose I could find Haitani and Shirai. They helped us out with the summer play..."

"I can help with that, too!" Suu cheered, grinning. "I'll take the leftover parts from my last experiment with Ranma, and make a goblin projector."

"Well, if that's taken care of, we should probably get back to studying for the test," Naru pointed out.

"Hello!" Mutsumi called out, smiling brightly and peeking in through the doorway. "Is everyone ready to study?"

Keitaro and Ranma nodded, tucking their scripts away into their back pockets. "I think so, Mutsumi-chan," Naru replied, smiling. "Let's go to my room."

XXX

Mitsune flipped through her script idly, but found her role fairly small, outside of a few fight scenes. Well, she'd had some training with martial arts, thanks to Ranma. It couldn't be that hard.

And if that wasn't a concern, well, then she could pay attention to other things.

Like Mutsumi.

Ranma seemed to always have one eye on her. She was clumsy, but whenever she slipped, he would catch her. Was it just because he was trying to help someone avoid being hurt, or was it something about Mutsumi specifically? And how to find out if there was anything going on there? She lit upon an idea quickly enough.

"Say, Shinobu, you don't think that Mutsumi is more competition for you, do you?" she asked.

Shinobu blinked as though the idea had never occurred to her, and blushed brightly. "Is she?" she asked. "I suppose when ... Naru-sempai confessed ... she said she liked Keitaro-sempai too, after all."

Mitsune nodded knowingly. "Well ... you know, you could check the situation out, if you wanted."

"That's ... true," Shinobu admitted, looking more nervous than pleased with the proposition. "I should find out, at least, but..." She hesitated, then sighed. "I'm concerned that I may already be out of the running, Kitsune-san."

"It's not like you to give up," Mitsune protested. "And if you don't investigate, you'll never find out, will you? What have you got to lose, anyway?"

"That's true," Shinobu admitted more confidently. "I'll bring them something to eat while they study!"

XXX

After removing the freshly baked cookies from the oven, Shinobu gave them a few minutes to cool down and considered things. Perhaps... Perhaps Mutsumi would be interested more in Ranma than Keitaro. That would be good, because it would mean that she still had a chance.

Even if it did put her and Naru in direct opposition.

Then again, she reasoned, if she never tried ... she'd never be able to succeed. If she tried, at least she'd know.

Steeling herself, she loaded the warm cookies onto a plate and crept towards Naru's room, her script booklet tucked into her pocket. The doorway was closed to ward off the deepening chill of the turning season, so she knocked gently.

"Come in!" Naru called out.

Nodding to reassure herself, Shinobu balanced the tray carefully on one hand and slid the door open. "Hello," she greeted the study group timidly. "I thought you might like something to eat while you studied."

"Ooh?" Mutsumi asked, looking up from her study guide. "That's very thoughtful!"

"So it is," Naru agreed, smiling at Shinobu brightly.

"Cookies?" Keitaro asked. "Oh, why don't you sit with us and stay a while then, Shinobu-chan?"

The table was large enough to fit four comfortably, and one or two more without too much trouble. She took a seat at the table and set the tray down.

Shinobu surveyed the seating arrangement from her spot. She shared a side of the table with Naru and Keitaro was to her left. To her right was Ranma, struggling with a problem, his brows furrowed in concentration, and opposite Naru sat Mutsumi.

"Would you like a cookie, Ranma-kun?" Mutsumi asked, turning her attention to the man.

"Four," he stated, nodding.

Shinobu frowned, looking at the pile, but nodded, agreeing, "Four, Oe-san."

"That's ... um, thirteen and one sixteenth," he clarified, furrowing his brow at his book.

Naru glanced between Ranma and Shinobu for a moment, while Shinobu considered the prospect of breaking a cookie into sixteen equal pieces. "Um, Oe-san?" she asked.

"Well, the best I'm coming up with is really fifteen, but that's the choice that's closest," he explained, pressing the book flat against the table and closing his eyes, one hand rising to scratch behind an ear thoughtfully. He turned to Mutsumi and opened his eyes. "What do you think?"

"I think you may be right," she agreed, smiling.

Naru sighed from her spot and snatched the book from in front of Ranma, while Shinobu stared at the plate, wondering how quickly she could bake another batch. "Cookies, Oe. Do you want one?" Naru asked sliding the book out of Ranma's reach.

Ranma stared at her blankly for a long moment. "Uh, yeah, sure, I'll take one," he finally said, recovering his bearing. Naru returned the study guide and shook her head. "Sorry, kind of spaced out there. But I think it's answer number four."

"That's right, Oe-san," Keitaro noted, taking a cookie from the tray as Mutsumi reached for it at the same time. Their hands brushed together, and both blinked in surprise. "Er ... I'm sorry," Keitaro apologized, blushing slightly.

"That's fine," Mutsumi assured him, smiling brightly, then taking a cookie from the tray to pass to Ranma.

Ranma scooted away from the table and stretched his legs out a bit, munching on the baked treat. "Hey," he said after chewing a mouthful. "These are great, Shinobu-chan."

She beamed a smile at him, pleased, but more concerned about Keitaro's opinion. "They're awesome," the manager seconded.

Mutsumi nodded and added, "Shinobu-chan, you'll make someone a wonderful wife."

Shinobu felt herself grow dizzy as her face reddened in embarrassment and she bowed her head. "Ah..." she managed.

"Oh, do you have a crush, Shinobu-chan?"

It was all she could do not to fall over. "Ah! I don't have anyone, no-" She cut herself off, and shook her head. "No one," she said after a moment.

"Oh?" Mutsumi frowned, then turned to Ranma. "What about you, Ranma-kun?"

Ranma's eyes flickered briefly, but he didn't otherwise react immediately. Without even looking up, he slid back to his place at the table and reopened the study guide Naru had taken away from him. "No one at the moment," he mumbled, flipping through the pages.

Mutsumi waited for Ranma to say something more, but he was absorbed in his studying. Shinobu shook her head and turned the thread of the conversation back to the subject of brides; it was bad form to receive a compliment without returning it. "Well, you would probably make someone a beautiful wife too, Otohime-san," Shinobu said cautiously, offering Mutsumi what the younger girl hoped was a brave smile.

"Really? But this place is filled with pretty girls," Mutsumi said. "Naru would make a lovely bride, as well."

It was Naru's turn to blush, while Keitaro glanced between the three girls present, scratching his head. "Filled with pretty girls?" he asked, turning a speculative glance at Ranma.

All three girls turned their eyes to Ranma. He raised his eyes from his paperwork and blinked, looking between the others. "Huh?" he managed, peering between them in confusion.

"I can kind of see it," Naru said after a moment. "Cold water's easier to come by, after all."

"Oh, I don't know about Ranma-kun's temperament," Mutsumi hedged, smiling knowingly. "But..."

"I don't think Oe-san is like that!" Shinobu blurted out, turning the martial artist a fearfully questioning glance.

"Not a chance," he said quickly, shaking his head.

Motoko's voice reached them faintly from where she practiced, outside, piercing the suddenly awkward silence. "Strike! Strike! Strike!"

Ranma shuddered and looked briefly haunted, glancing over his shoulder fearfully, then turning back and insisting, "Never. Ever."

"We were just teasing," Mutsumi giggled quietly, her smile not yet disappearing. "I'm sure you'd rather be with a girl, even if you were a girl at the time, right?"

A loud sneeze echoed from the hallway as Mitsune passed by, heard and recognized, but unseen.

Keitaro blinked into the silence, glancing between Mutsumi and Ranma, while the sound of footsteps faded down the hall.

"Um ... anyway, back to studying," Naru finally said, still blushing.

XXX

"So, what did you find out?" Mitsune asked, when Shinobu crossed the main room on her way to the kitchen again.

"Um ... not much of anything," Shinobu admitted, somewhat distraught. "I'm not sure..."

"Well, if you're going to make a move you should probably do it soon," Mitsune advised. "Wait too long, and it could be too late."

"Umm... How?"

Mitsune raised an eyebrow, then reached for her copy of the script. "Seems to me we should be able to come up with something," she reasoned. "After all, being the narrator, anything you say goes, right?"

"Does it?"

"It should." Mitsune looked thoughtful for a moment. "I have an idea. See, in this scene here..."

XXX

Naru and Suu sat together, watching Keitaro and Ranma during the morning exercises.

"Okay, Keitaro, I think it's about time we moved on to the next phase of your training," Ranma announced.

"Eh?" he managed, looking nervous about being singled out. "Um ... what comes next?"

"Well, I think it's time that instead of just practicing forms and exercising, we sparred a bit," Ranma reasoned.

Motoko nodded, leading the other students through their exercises on the opposite side of the yard.

"Um ... are you sure?" Keitaro asked hesitantly. "It seems to me that, really, you're better than me at this."

"And how do you expect to get better?" Ranma asked, grinning. "The way it works is simple - neither of us are out for blood, but you're tough enough to take a hit, and you've gotten enough skill to start working on more complex forms of the art. I'm going to start the match fighting at your level, and slowly bring up the challenge."

"Is that how you train Motoko?" Keitaro wondered. "Well ... if you say so, I suppose you must be right, Oe-sensei."

"Right!" Ranma exclaimed, clapping his hands together and taking up a stance. "Let's go!"

Keitaro nodded, smiling, and the two rushed one another. Keitaro's first strike was a quick punch to Ranma's midsection, feeling out the other combatant's reflexes. Ranma deflected it, creating a brief opening which Keitaro noted. A kick diverted Ranma's attention, and Keitaro went for the opening full force, punching Ranma directly in the ribs.

"He got him!" Naru cheered suddenly, grinning from the sidelines.

"Ranma let him," Suu dismissed, though she watched raptly.

The man took a step back and nodded his approval. "Very good," he encouraged Keitaro. "Now, again, with a bit more speed. Ready?"

"Right!" Keitaro exclaimed, grinning. He charged Ranma gain, seeking to exploit the same opening - but this time it wasn't there.

Instead of deflecting the blow, Ranma merely stepped inside Keitaro's guard, then shoved at Keitaro's sternum with one palm, while his other hand slapped away Keitaro's attempt at a counter. He stumbled backwards across the field and landed heavily on his backside.

"Got cocky," Ranma chastised. "Remember, adaptability. Again?"

"Again," Keitaro agreed, accepting Ranma's hand to his feet. The two squared off again, and Keitaro opened up with a foot-sweep, trying to knock Ranma off balance. Ranma stood his ground, and Keitaro reversed direction, sweeping a chop towards Ranma's neck. This blow was deflected, and Keitaro saw another opening.

This one would require more effort to exploit than the last. He stepped back to consider his options. Ranma moved towards him, launching a strike towards his chest. He slapped it out of the way, quickly launching a kick at Ranma - there was no time to sit around idle while trying to battle! This was like a multiple-choice question on an exam, and time was running out.

Ranma danced away from the kick, grinning, and Keitaro nodded. Maybe choosing the right answer wasn't as important as picking a choice at all, here. Just like testing. Emboldened by the range Ranma's evasion had granted, Keitaro stepped forward and kicked upwards. Ranma leaned back out of the way and blocked the axe-kick Keitaro had planned to follow up.

Keitaro blinked in surprise, and Ranma shoved the leg upwards, flipping him over to tumble to the lawn. "You need to watch your defense," Ranma advised. "You don't always have a lot of time to take advantage of your enemy's weaknesses, and while you're feeling out their defenses, you're also showing them your own."

"Tricky," Keitaro said, climbing to his feet. "I think I understand. Again?"

Ranma blinked, eyebrows rising. "Well, if you want," he said, shrugging. Keitaro nodded, taking up a defensive stance.

Grinning in understanding, Ranma charged. Keitaro sidestepped Ranma's charge, throwing a foot out to trip the man in passing. The martial artist shifted direction suddenly and moved to tackle Keitaro - there! There was the opening!

As if in slow motion, Naru watched Keitaro's foot, with dreadful slowness, arc around from its placement for a trip, sweeping into Ranma's shin from the side. The manager twisted to the side at the same moment, his other foot slipping across the ground until he ended up spinning completely around, resting in a ready stance. A ring of dust rose from around him, swirling faintly in the direction of his motion.

Meanwhile, Ranma, unbalanced by the trip, sprawled forward, tucking into a roll, and using a handspring to launch himself into the air until he could recover. From there, he descended, landing near Keitaro. "Much better," he said, nodding. "Now you get it. Tomorrow, we'll spar again."

"What about now?" Keitaro asked, surprised.

"Now it's my turn!" Suu exclaimed, springing to her feet enthusiastically.

XXX

The girls had made a collective concession to the fact that there were now two men in the inn by letting them use the baths. After the girls were done with them, of course.

But Ranma wouldn't begrudge them that - the inn was meant to be a girl's dormitory, so he considered it a privilege, and he wouldn't complain about it. The hot water acted as a soothing balm - Ranma ruefully admitted that before coming to the inn he had let his conditioning slip. But the hot water salved aching muscles from sparring with Motoko, and was relaxing in other ways, as well.

"It almost seems timeless," Keitaro commented, staring upwards. The trees surrounding the spring were nearly invisible before him. In the colder air, as winter approached, the spring tossed up masses of obscuring steam, leaving the entire baths cloaked in a mist that was difficult to see through.

"I know what you mean," Ranma murmured, waving one hand. The steam swirled behind, following the motion of his arm, little whorls and eddies dancing about before more steam obscured the air currents. He frowned thoughtfully, moving the hand in a circle, and caused a tiny vortex to appear. The motion pulled gently at the steam across the surface of the spring, pooling it and forcing it upward in a funnel.

"Wow," Keitaro breathed, able to make out the flows of steam even without his glasses. The mists spiraled high enough to clear the roof, and touch against a cool breeze. The air temperature there caused the steam to condense, sprinkling cool droplets across the entire bathing area. "That's nice," Keitaro commented after a moment.

Ranma nodded, glad it had worked, as neither of them remembered to bring cool rags for their foreheads, sometimes important when the baths were as hot as they were. "I didn't know if it would work right," he admitted after a moment, as the steam worked on building itself back up.

"When will you teach us how to do that?"

Frowning, Ranma shot Keitaro a sideways glance. He was sprawled against a rock, just over halfway submerged in the spring, reclining comfortably with his arms behind his head. Ranma himself sat against another rock, not quite as deep in the water as the manager. "I don't know if I will," he finally said. "That kind of thing ... it's dangerous. And it's not that I don't trust you, it's that I'm leaving before I can guarantee that I'll have enough time to teach everyone correctly. I should be close enough by to give you lessons, but probably not enough to supervise as much as would be needed."

"Ah," Keitaro mumbled, nodding, his eyes closed. "I understand that. Motoko-chan already knew, after all. What do you call that kind of move?"

"It's an esoteric art," Ranma replied, shrugging. "Some people call them ki attacks, but that's a bit misleading. You can do things with ki that you could do with your bare hands, and sometimes you can do more ... but using it to attack is not always as effective as a good punch or kick."

Keitaro frowned. "So why use it?" he asked.

Ranma shrugged, dropping a hand into the water and pushing it back and forth, sending out small waves that marched across the pond, vanishing into the steam-shrouded reaches. "You can do things with it that are harder to do with your bare hands," he said. "The ... hiryuu shouten-ha, for example... The main reason to use it instead of a normal attack is that you can use someone's anger against them, which makes it useful if you're fighting defensively."

Keitaro opened one eye and peered at Ranma curiously through the thickening steam. "What about the fireball?"

"Well ... that's ... different." Ranma frowned thoughtfully. "I really prefer to use that one to counter someone else's attack. But that's not as important right now as studying. We should probably get out of the baths."

"If you insist," Keitaro replied, opening both eyes, and stretching. "Can you clear out the steam again?"

"Sure," Ranma replied, rising slightly and stepping in a circle. This time the funnel of steam was wider, causing the water beneath it to roil, but not quite powerful enough to actually draw any of it away. When it was done, the steam passed too high to rain back into the bath, and was carried away on the breeze. "That was a nice soak," he said appreciatively.

"Yes," Mutsumi agreed.

Keitaro and Ranma blinked at one another, checking their modesty towels before turning to glance at Mutsumi. "Um ... hello," Ranma managed.

The girl was sitting towards the back of the pond, her face flushed from the heat, but smiling regardless. A towel was pressed to her chest, barely managing to keep her covered. "Hello!" she replied cheerfully. "What are you two doing in here?"

"Naru said ... everyone had gotten out of the bath, and we could get in," Keitaro said nervously, climbing to his feet at Ranma's side. "We'll, uh, get out of your way, now."

Ranma nodded quickly. "Sorry to bother you," he added, taking a step backwards.

Mutsumi shook her head, her hair in a bun behind her to keep it dry. "You don't need to worry," she insisted, climbing to her own feet. "I'll get out with you!"

Both Keitaro and Ranma watched, gulping involuntarily as Mutsumi stepped towards them, her towel struggling valiantly to keep her covered, but fighting a losing battle. She stopped halfway towards them and peered at her feet. In the reforming mist, she had nearly bumped into Tamago, who was floating peacefully on the surface of the bath. "Ooh," she said, blinking at the turtle. "I almost tripped over this rock." She raised one leg from the water and prepared to step on Tamago, as the turtle floated away. With nothing beneath her but more water, she stumbled, crashing towards one of the bath's real rocks.

Again, Ranma's senses blurred and time seemed to slow down. He shot across the handful of meters between them, not sure what he found purchase on as he hurtled towards her. Slowing, he skidded on his knees atop the water, sinking in time to catch Mutsumi before she tumbled into the rock.

He came to rest crouched low, Mutsumi held in his arms and blinking in surprise. Behind her, Tamago drifted lazily past, raising a flipper in greeting and offering a cheerful chirp. "Thank you," Mutsumi finally said, smiling.

"No ... problem," Ranma managed, glancing at Keitaro, who stared at him in shock. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "Have you seen my towel anywhere?"

Blinking, Ranma looked down, realizing that the towel covering Mutsumi had vanished. "Gaah!" He tipped over backwards, he and Mutsumi both splashing into the water.

In the ensuing confusion, by the time Ranma managed to haul himself upright and help Mutsumi to her own feet, she managed to tug off his modesty towel. "Oops!" she exclaimed, blushing brightly.

"Oe-san, I found her towel!" Keitaro exclaimed, retrieving it from the bottom of the pond and offering it to her.

Ranma covered himself with his hands, quickly sinking into the bath, his face crimson. "Thank you," Mutsumi said, reaching towards Keitaro, and grabbing the cloth. One firm tug left her holding his modesty towel, while he and her towel took another tumble into the bath, splashing loudly.

"Ack!" Keitaro managed, flushing fit to match what Ranma felt he looked like and trying to cover himself.

"Oh, here it is," Mutsumi said, pulling Ranma's modesty towel from the bath and looking between the pair.

Keitaro's eyes widened as the door to the bathing area slammed open. "Uh-oh," he whimpered.

"Keitaro!" Naru exclaimed. "What in the world are you..."

The rest of the tenants of the inn quickly poured into the area behind her, peeking over her shoulder at the three in the bath. "Hello!" Mutsumi cheered, waving one of the towels at Naru while Ranma attempted to hide himself behind a rock. "Are you going to take a bath with us, too?"

"Urashima!" Motoko exclaimed. "How could you have fallen so low now, after you had done so well?"

"Sempai," Shinobu whimpered. "What are you doing?"

Mitsune merely looked between Keitaro and Ranma, a smile forming on her face.

"Taking advantage of Mutsumi like that!" Naru exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest and scowling darkly. "I hope you have a good explanation."

"I do!" Keitaro said fervently, springing to his feet and marching to stand before Naru. "It's simple, Narusegawa - Oe-san and I were just taking a bath, and we didn't realize that Mutsumi-chan was still in here!"

"Do you feel a draft?" Mitsune asked, her smile widening to a grin as she peered at Keitaro.

"Eh?" he asked, turning to look at her quizzically.

"Ah! Keitaro-kun!" Mutsumi called out from behind him. "You forgot this!"

Blinking, he turned around to look at Mutsumi. She had managed to cover herself with her towel again, though it did little at this point. More importantly, she was waving Keitaro's wet modesty towel with her free hand. Ranma struggled in vain to reach for his own towel, not willing to leave the relative safety of his rock. "My towel," he said weakly. "Um ... hello? Otohime?"

Keitaro swallowed nervously and looked down, remembering that his towel was missing. "Wait! I can explain this too!" he protested, grabbing Naru by the shoulders to try to show his sincerity. "Er ... actually, maybe I shouldn't have done that," he said, releasing her and trying to cover himself with his hands.

Her expression warned him that she wouldn't have any of it, and he whimpered. One good punch sent him upwards, and he flipped over in the air twice before slamming into the ground. "Pervert," she grumped. "Really, now."

"Keitaro-kun?" Mutsumi asked, draping his modesty towel over him, and leaning close to examine him. "Are you okay?"

"I can see my house from here," he slurred in reply, eyes not quite focusing.

Motoko shook her head and turned her attention to the rock Ranma was hiding behind. "And your excuse?" she asked, setting her hands on her hips.

"Um ... I'm just an innocent little girl?" he hazarded.

"Really, now."

Clearing his throat, Ranma shook his head. He had one good chance at pulling off an escape, since Mutsumi had run off with his towel. "I have a better explanation," he reasoned, peeking over the top of his stony hiding place. "Basically, it goes like this. You see - hiryuu shouten-ha!"

The tenants all stepped back, eyes wide, as Ranma vanished into a rising vortex of hot water. In the center of the spiral, once it was separated from the springs, the hot mass cooled quickly, triggering his curse.

Female, she landed at the edge of the bath, while the water rained down across the bath from her effect. "Now," she reasoned. "Keitaro was telling the truth. It was all an accident."

"Exactly!" Mutsumi added, smiling. "I just forgot to get out - I love hot springs!"

"And ... um ... Mutsumi tripped, and dropped her towel, and then, um, I tripped, and then Keitaro tripped ... and it was all an accident. See?" Ranma said, smiling hopefully.

"So, what was the show for, then?" Motoko asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My modesty towel was missing," Ranma said, shrugging. "Didn't want to flash you all, or anything like that."

"Fair enough," Motoko allowed, frowning. "Though you display a certain lack of feminine modesty."

"Well, in either body, I'm still missing a towel," Ranma countered. "Anyway, I'm going to go dry off and put some clothes on." She strode forward, towards the exit.

Mitsune grinned, and made a kicking motion with her foot.

Ranma's next step found itself planted on a bar of soap, which skidded across the deck, causing her to trip over Keitaro's prone form. Ranma was sent careening wildly backwards into Mutsumi, and the pair landed tangled in the baths again with another thunderous splash.

Shaking his head to clear it and trying to ignore Mitsune's gloating chuckle, he protested, "It was an accident! I swear!"

XXX

Keitaro had left the window shades in his room open, though the light filtering through both it and the open door felt dim and gloomy. He and Ranma had their heads bowed, studying their workbooks quietly.

"You know, it seemed like things had gone on too long without something going wrong," Keitaro finally said, prodding at his cheek gently. He winced as he felt the bandage placed over a swelling bump.

Ranma nodded solemnly, feeling at a matching bandage on his own face.

"Anyway," Keitaro mumbled. "I think Narusegawa really hates me, now."

"Why?" Ranma asked, frowning.

"Just a feeling," Keitaro sighed. "She hit you, too?"

Ranma blinked, surprised, and removed his bandage. "Actually, no," he said, turning to look at the wrapping in confusion. "No one hit me. It must have been a reflex."

Keitaro winced, looking away to mask his jealousy. "Narusegawa ... must really like you a lot, Oe-san," he said. "If she didn't hit you after that..."

"Eh?" Ranma noised, frowning. "I don't know about that, Kanrinin. She's not studying with either of us right now, so I don't think she's any happier with me than she is with you."

Keitaro shrugged, leaning back and staring up at the spot on the ceiling where a hole had once been, connecting his room to Naru's. "I..." He hesitated. Should he tell Ranma that he already knew about Naru's confession? No... No. There was too much studying to be done. They were probably going to wait until after the test to reveal it. And why? Because, really, they were both good people. They didn't want to hurt him at such a stressful time.

Ranma only wanted to help him out - that was why he helped Keitaro learn martial arts, after all. Naru, despite how annoyed she could get at him, really did want him to succeed. Wanted him to get into Todai. And maybe, maybe everything would work out, and he'd get into the college, and find his missing dream-girl.

And maybe he should stop deluding himself, he decided. Still, they really did need to study. "Well, let's move on to the next book," he finally said.

XXX

Naru looked up from her study guide, having trouble focusing on it. Ever since Keitaro had begun training seriously in martial arts, he had gotten better. Less clumsy, at least. There honestly had been fewer accidents since he began.

And not counting his first day, Ranma hadn't done much of the sort at all. Outside of martial arts and studying, really, he often felt standoffish. Probably because he knew he was leaving soon, she decided.

But at the same time... Ranma wasn't a pervert, at least as far as she'd seen. Well, he had grabbed onto Mutsumi, because Mitsune had kicked the bar of soap under his foot. But, what was she to think?

Though she left her suspicions unvoiced, it seemed to Naru that Ranma was still being faithful towards his former wife - he probably didn't want to betray her memory, even if they had parted on good terms. So what was Keitaro doing naked with Mutsumi?

Would he try anything perverted with Oe around? Probably not.

The only explanation she could come up with was that ... as unfortunate as the scenario was ... Mutsumi was making a move on Keitaro. "Um ... Mutsumi?" she asked, raising her head and looking at the other girl. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure!" she said, smiling.

"Um... Mutsumi, do you remember what we talked about?" Naru asked, biting her lower lip uncertainly.

"Of course," Mutsumi replied, becoming solemn.

"Well ... I was wondering if you were trying to do something about ... that... first," Naru said quietly.

"Oh, no, never that!" Mutsumi replied, shaking her head. "We're studying together, after all."

"Um..."

"But I think you might be faster than me anyway," Mutsumi sighed. "You're almost halfway through the study guide, and I'm only beginning."

Naru blinked at the other girl. "I was asking about Keitaro," Naru clarified. "I was asking if you were ... trying to get him."

"I like Keitaro," Mutsumi answered, nodding. "But you like Keitaro, too. He's a good person to like. He doesn't know that either of us like him, though."

"Right," Naru affirmed, nodding. "Are ... you going to tell him before I can?"

Mutsumi looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook her head. Conspiratorially, she whispered, "I think that Kei-kun likes you more. If you confess, you'll make him very happy."

Reassured, Naru smiled, letting out a sigh of relief. "I hope so," she said quietly.

Mutsumi nodded knowingly and beamed Naru a smile of her own. She frowned suddenly, and cocked her head to one side. "Naru-chan ... what do you know about Ranma-kun?"

"Oe?" Naru asked, raising an eyebrow. It suddenly occurred to her that she had dismissed the possibility that Mutsumi was trying to make a move on him. Was that the case? "You like him?"

Mutsumi ducked her head. "I like Ranma-kun, but I like Naru-chan and Keitaro-kun, too. I like everyone here!"

Naru giggled, seeing the faint blush on Mutsumi's cheeks as she answered the question. "Well ... you know, I don't know that much more than you ... but I bet I know someone who would know. Why don't we ask Mitsune once we finish these questions?" If things were as simple that, maybe she didn't need to worry that much after all.

"Okay!"

XXX

"Hello, Kitsune!" Mutsumi greeted cheerfully, as Mitsune returned to the inn after a day of work. "Did you work hard today?"

"Not really," Mitsune replied absently, kicking her shoes off and stretching her arms over her head. She suddenly realized what she said, and lowered her arms, quickly adding, "Er ... that is, yeah. I worked pretty hard."

Naru sighed, watching a pair of pachinko balls bounce out of Mitsune's pocket. "Gambling?" she chastised. "Did you work at all?"

"Of course I did," Mitsune insisted, grinning, sweeping up her fallen loot. "I just stopped off to win a few yen at the pachinko parlor before I came home."

Mutsumi nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Naru before walking across the inn's lobby towards Mitsune. "Kitsune-san ... could you tell me something?" she asked, clasping her hands together over her chest.

Quirking one eyebrow, Mitsune nodded. "Sure," she replied, shrugging. "Let's go to my room."

After the other two had followed her to her room, Mitsune sat on her bed and lounged across her pillows. "What do you want to know?" she asked, a calculating gleam in the corner of her eye.

"Do you know anything about Oe-san that we don't?" Naru asked thoughtfully. "We're looking for information on anything you might have ... found out ... that we don't already know."

This time both of Mitsune's eyebrows rose and she sat up straight, frowning. "You want to know about Ranma? Why?"

"I'd like to know more about Ranma-kun," Mutsumi said, smiling softly. "He seems like a nice boy."

"Help me out," Naru whispered to Mitsune quietly. "If she's interested in Ranma, then she's not after Keitaro."

"Ah ... I see," Mitsune whispered back, worried. In a louder voice, she said, "Well, I suppose I might know ... some things that you might not. Why don't you tell me what you know already?"

XXX

"'But then, though no one had expected it, the ground spider's minions attacked Raiko's men when it thought they were asleep!'" Shinobu nodded to herself and turned the page in her script book, making a face at how much dialogue she needed to speak. Quoting faithfully, she read aloud, "'But Sakata no Kintoki and Watanabe no Tsuna' - that's Oe-san and Motoko-sempai - 'but Sakata no Kintoki and Watanabe no Tsuna were not sleeping, they were playing go, and heard the minions entering their camp.'" Sighing, she closed the book and shook her head. "So many lines," she said quietly. "I hope I can learn them all."

Stretching, she put the script book in her pocket and padded from her room to the kitchen. It was near time to start cooking dinner anyway, and she needed a break from trying to learn the script. She found it easier to focus on her lines when she was cooking, anyway. Something about working in the kitchen always worked to soothe and calm her, especially when she was unsettled and nervous about something. And while she had been in a play before, this one involved much more attention to the dialogue.

She looked up as Mutsumi entered the kitchen, waving at her and offering a genial smile. "Otohime-san?" Shinobu queried, stirring a soup pot. "Taking a break from studying?"

"Yes, that's right," Mutsumi replied, nodding. "Shinobu-chan, is it true that you're putting on a play?"

"What?" Shinobu blinked, nearly forgetting to stir, and quickly shook her head. "No, no, that's not it. I'm part of the play, but Haruka-san is in charge of it."

"Do you think she would let me join?" Mutsumi asked thoughtfully, cocking her head to one side.

"Um ... she might," Shinobu hazarded. "I'm not sure, though, which roles are left-"

"Thank you, Shinobu-chan! I'll ask her right away!"

Shinobu blinked, as Mutsumi turned about and strode away. "I wonder if this means the script will be changed," she murmured.

XXX

Atop a stretch of highway cresting a steep hill, standing at the very peak of the road before it sloped down into a stretch that lead into a city some miles distant, a man sat astride his pink ten-speed bike. A faint mist of rain sprinkled down lightly and he stared stoically at the pavement before him. Stretching away and below like a black carpet unfurled expressly for him, far reaches shrouded by distance, and then further by a faint fog and the already misting rain.

But that expanse of black asphalt beckoned him, and he could not ignore its call for long. Hands fumbling for only a moment, he produced a pair of fingerless gloves, which he slipped on, followed by dark mirror-reflective sunglasses and a quick adjustment of his blue baseball cap. "Little brother," he whispered, smirking, before he gave himself to the road.

"What are you up to?" he wondered aloud, lurching forward slightly and allowing inertia to do the work for him.

"It's been a while, Ranma," he mused, positioning himself to ride low and offer less wind resistance, his ponytail flicking behind him in his wake.

XXX

The stage had been set up at the bottom of an outdoor auditorium. The pit was originally a mere twenty centimeters deep and a single meter across when Happosai's explosive had created it. During the house's retrofit, it had been expanded to search for plumbing, dug a full meter deep and widened to two meters across. Random sparring between Ranma, Seta, and Motoko had helped add another meter or two to width, and Suu's experiment had deepened it to a full three and a half meters deep by eight meter radius.

The pit had then been reshaped into an auditorium, with collapsing dividers set up to leave a 'back stage' area. Currently, the deepest part of the stage was only a meter and a half deep, though the width was much greater. The rear of the stage ended abruptly at an earthen wall, a tree standing above the center, and white sheets hanging across lines to provide a backdrop for the projection that Suu had set up.

Currently it was displaying a red velvet curtain, realistic enough that Shinobu had gone to touch it, not quite trusting her eyes. Ranma had, at Haruka's request, cobbled together the leftover scraps of lumber still lying around and made simple wooden benches to serve as seats for the theater's guests. Surprisingly enough, they were slowly filling up, and Shinobu guessed there were more than forty people waiting for the play to begin.

A wooden podium was set up at the side of the stage, and Shinobu sighed in relief to see that there was a copy of the script on it, as that was where she would be standing. That way, if she forgot her lines, she could check them against the book. Swallowing, she looked at her costume, a carefully sewn up white gown, with white gloves. This hardly felt like a normal play, but then, Haruka had said she had taken liberties, so...

She shook her head as Suu motioned to her. More people were trickling in, and she tried to ignore them, preparing for her performance. "Koara-san?" she asked quietly, retreating behind the dividers for the back-stage area.

"Almost time," Suu warned. "Ready?"

Of course she wasn't, but she wasn't going to answer that.

"Give it a few extra minutes," Haruka said suddenly, entering the backstage area and gesturing to the pair of tents being used for costuming. "Some of our actresses are being slow, and more people are coming anyway." She smiled vaguely. "I need to get dressed myself. Shinobu-chan, are you okay?"

"I'm a bit nervous," she admitted, staring at her feet.

"Don't worry about it - if you make a mistake, they'll probably just assume it's a comedy. Relax, and remember, you're the narrator, so they'll listen to what you say ... but they're going to be watching everyone on the stage. Ready?" The woman patted her shoulder comfortingly, and Shinobu managed a brave smile. "Okay. When I come back out, we should be good to go."

Shinobu nodded, watching Haruka retreat into the tent for women's costume changing.

It seemed to Shinobu that the woman hardly took long enough, before she emerged, gesturing Suu towards the tent. Her own costume was hard to make out as the last light of the sun faded and the outdoor lights came on. "Seta dropped by and he'll run the lighting for us," Haruka explained, leading Shinobu to the stage.

"Okay, is it time?"

"You're on!"

XXX

The lights on the stage slowly faded until they were extinguished entirely, only a pair of lights at either side of the back of the theater providing any illumination at all. A sudden beam of light erupted, just as the audience began to adjust to the darkness. It pooled about a figure, dressed in a radiantly glowing white gown. Her hair was held back by a simple gold tiara, and she stepped delicately down an earthen ramp to the side of the stage, stopping behind a podium.

Her voice echoed across the audience, hesitantly at first, but then with more confidence. "Welcome to Hinata-sou's presentation of the heroic legend of Raiko," she announced, bowing slightly to the audience. "Tonight we wish to show you the story that began, so long ago, in the far, forested reaches of Japan..."

At her words, the light about her faded, dimming, and illuminated the backdrop, now showing a thickly forested wood and a simple wooden shack sitting at one edge of the stage.

A young woman with long red hair in a ponytail, wearing a red bandana and sleeveless gi strode out from behind the shack, looking around speculatively.

"Our story begins not only with Raiko, but the second of Raiko's retainers, the mighty Sakata no Kintoki. But at that time, she was not called Sakata no Kintoki, her name was instead..."

A man dressed as a samurai, with the ancient formal overshirt - uwagi - patterned in blue and white, and the loose flowing pant-like garment - hakama - strode onto the stage. His look was grim and confident, and he was trailed by a woman with long black hair, each of them carrying swords. "Who are you?" the man asked, looking at the red-haired girl speculatively. "And where is this forest?"

"Me?" the girl asked, blinking in surprise. "Who are you? For I am Kaidomaru, and I speak to the creatures of this forest."

"To speak with animals? Can this be possible?" the black-haired woman asked the audience, one hand smoothing the sleeve of her white uwagi nervously. "Surely this is a joke." Turning to the red-haired girl, she drew her sword, pointing it directly at her. "Speak to my master only with respect, knave, for he is Minamoto no Yorimitsu, the hero known as Raiko."

"Hold your sword, Watanabe no Tsuna," Raiko said, shaking his head. "I have heard stories of this bo- girl." He coughed quietly, glancing at the audience, then turned his attention back to Kaidomaru. "Are the legends true, young woman?" he asked. "Is it true that you wrestle with the bears of this land?"

"It is true," Kaidomaru replied, nodding. "I wrestle with the bears, and I run with the deer, and I climb the trees, for this forest is my home. I am no samurai or lord such as yourself; I have no title and no land, so this is my station."

"And is it also true, young Kaidomaru, that your caretaker is the wicked Yamamba?" he asked, one hand going to his sword. "The dreaded and vile man-eating hag?"

Before Kaidomaru could reply, a woman in a tattered and torn kimono emerged from the hut, making a motion towards Raiko. He reeled as though struck, and sunk to the ground, dazed.

XXX

"Watch your mouth," Haruka grumped, preparing to throw another rock at Keitaro.

"It was in the script!" Ranma shot back under her breath.

"I changed that line," she countered just as quietly.

XXX

"Ah!" the narrator exclaimed suddenly. "The, ah, dread witch Yamamba cast a spell at Raiko to weaken him!"

The audience gasped in stunned surprise.

Raiko struggled to his feet, aided by Tsuna. "That hurt!" he exclaimed, rubbing at his face, as though dismissing the effects of her spell. Tsuna leaned close to examine his head.

XXX

"Ad-lib!" Motoko hissed under her breath. "Come up with something!"

"Right, right," Keitaro whispered back.

XXX

"But," Raiko exclaimed, drawing his sword, "you have affronted my honor, and attacked a samurai! Yamamba, unless you can offer suitable restitution, I will strike you down."

Yamamba took a menacing step towards Raiko. The samurai's eyes widened in surprise, and he shot a worried glance at his retainer, but held his ground. Kaidomaru grabbed the woman's sleeve, and pleaded, "Oh, Yamamba, do not sacrifice your life so. You have watched over me as I grew up in this forest, and while it was all I have ever known, I would not remain here alone, without you."

The woman paused, her long nails twitching, but she nodded curtly. "Very well, then," she announced. "What restitution do you demand, noble samurai?"

"A life is only worth another life," Tsuna noted aloud. "But the life of a samurai and the life of a woman such as yourself are not equal."

Yamamba's eyebrows twitched, and she growled wordlessly.

"But what could she offer that would satisfy samurai honor?" the narrator asked aloud. "Kaidomaru couldn't let the woman who raised hi- her die so easily, but she didn't know what to do. If only the animals of the forest could tell her to give herself to Raiko as a retainer!"

"Animals of the forest," Kaidomaru intoned softly, while everyone else on stage froze. "What should I do?"

"Go with Raiko!" the narrator pleaded. "Tell her, animals of the forest!"

The children in the audience, hesitantly at first, but then with more feeling, called out, "Go with Raiko! Go with Raiko!"

Kaidomaru nodded, then glanced between Yamamba and Raiko, saying, "Yamamba, while I am no samurai, perhaps Raiko-sama would be willing to take me in your stead?"

"Very well," Yamamba sighed. "Raiko, take my Kaidomaru, take her away from me ... but know this much. While I have never told her before, Kaidomaru is a samurai, of the Sakata family."

"Then Sakata Kaidomaru, you shall become my retainer as well," Raiko decided, nodding. "And from this day forth, you shall be known as Sakata no Kintoki."

The lights faded out, hiding the stage and all the actors.

"With Sakata no Kintoki as his newfound retainer, Raiko began to search for adventure," the narrator said, her voice carrying to the far reaches of the auditorium. The light on her began to brighten, until the audience could see her clearly again. "They had many adventures, eventually bringing them to a small town far to the north of what was once the home of Kaidomaru."

XXX

"It's my turn!" Suu said gleefully, checking her costume quickly. "Is everyone ready?"

Naru and Mutsumi nodded, examining their own outfits, while Haruka grumbled on her way to the costuming tent.

"Let's go!"

XXX

"Raiko, along with his retainers, entered the small town, sensing danger on the wind," the narrator explained, as the lights shifted again, leaving her to fade away while the backdrop of an ancient town came into view.

The samurai himself stood at the edge of the stage, his retainers behind him. Kintoki's gi had been covered with a red hakama and uwagi, and she now bore a staff lightly in one hand. Two peasant women in simple kimonos stood at the opposite side of the stage, one with long brown hair, and the other with long dark hair. Both of them glanced around nervously, as though afraid of something.

"The poor villagers were terrorized by villains of the rudest sort!" the narrator exclaimed, as two men in armor jumped out from behind the stage, looking as though they had leapt from a rooftop. They landed, one tall and lanky, the other shorter and more rounded, both with long hair.

"Ah!" the tall one exclaimed, putting his hands on his hips and offering a maniacal laugh. "This village is ours, for our strength is uncontested!"

"Indeed it is!" the other chimed in, grinning wickedly and leaning on his spear to leer at the peasant girls. "And now, let us claim our bounty!"

XXX

"We get to tussle with those cuties!" Haitani whispered to Shirai.

"Let's hurry before anyone else shows up," Shirai countered, as the pair advanced on Mutsumi and Naru.

"Naru-san?" Mutsumi asked quietly enough not to be heard off the stage. "Is this in the script?"

"They couldn't be that dumb," Naru said in disbelief, while she and Mutsumi cowered away from the approaching villains.

XXX

"But, before Raiko and his me- retainers could act," the narrator said, so happily that the smile in her voice could be heard despite the fact that she was hidden, "another hero arrived!"

"I'm Urabe no Suu!" a girl with silver hair exclaimed, bouncing onto the stage from above the two peasants, a lashing foot sending the pair of villains away in a tangled heap. She stood up, striking a pose in her green hakama and uwagi. "And I protect the people of this town!"

There was a momentary pause, while the villains attempted to struggle upright. The narrator's voice carried a single note of anxiety. "Unfortunately," she warned, "Urabe no Suetake was injured in the battle, and couldn't fight on any longer, leaving the villagers defenseless against the able-bodied villains."

Suetake blinked, then looked around. "I am injured!" she exclaimed suddenly, toppling to the ground and lying near the peasant women, who seemed stunned. The audience chuckled quietly.

"Ah!" the tall villain exclaimed, wobbling unsteadily and cradling one arm with the other. "Now you are defenseless, and we can strike you down, Urabe no Suetake!"

"That's right!" the other exclaimed, both of them working together to hold a single spear and stagger closer to the girl. "You overestimated yourself!"

XXX

"Aren't these roles a little backwards?" Haitani whimpered. "I think she nerve-pinched my arm; I can't feel it anymore."

"The play must go on," Shirai hissed back.

XXX

"But before they could strike, Raiko's retainers interceded," the narrator said, just as the villains reached Suetake's side.

Raiko drew his sword, and in the time it took it to clear his sheath, Kintoki and Tsuna had crossed the stage, easily throwing the villains into a pile in the center.

Struggling to their feet, just as Raiko took up a ready stance, the villains gave one-another a firm nod.

XXX

Haitani tested his arm, grabbing up his spear again. "Alright, Urashima arranged for us to get beaten up - time for a taste of his own medicine!"

"Agreed," Shirai returned quietly.

XXX

The villains charged Raiko, who took a step back, raising his sword defensively. "But the villains were stronger than anyone suspected, and they attacked Raiko while his retainers were helping the villagers!" the narrator exclaimed, sounding almost panicked. "Fight, Sem- Raiko! Fight!"

Raiko dodged out of the way as the villains attempted to club him with their spears and then lurched into motion, his sword-arm blurring and leaving an arc of shining silver that passed before them.

"Oooh!" the audience gasped.

XXX

"Haitani! That's not a stage weapon!" Shirai whimpered.

"Play dead!" Haitani mumbled.

XXX

"It's ... not..." the tall villain gasped out loudly as they both collapsed.

"Fair," the short one completed, before both stilled.

"And so, Raiko asked Urabe no Suetake to join his band of retainers," the narrator contributed.

Raiko made his way around the fallen villains. The light over them dimmed, until they were invisible. "You are a great warrior," he exclaimed, standing over the fallen Suetake. "You would have won, were it not for the villains' terrible trickery and wicked magic."

"Truly, they must have been among the undead," Tsuna added, glancing to where they had been.

Reiko shot Tsuna a glance, and the retainer flushed, staring at her feet.

"What is your name?" he asked, turning to regard Suetake again.

Suetake bounced to her feet, grinning wildly. "I am Urabe no Sue_take_," she said. Turning to the audience, she stage-whispered, "My friends call me Suu." Turning back to Raiko, she added, "I am the warrior who protects this village."

"Urabe no Suetake," Raiko announced, nodding gravely. "You are a mighty warrior - would you consider following at my side, and join me as one of my retainers?"

"Okay!"

The stage faded to darkness again, and the narrator was illuminated while she explained, "Raiko and his band journeyed far and wide, searching for evildoers and vanquishing them. Eventually, they were drawn to the Ryu-Kyu islands by rumors of a rampaging demon."

The stage lights began to brighten again, this time showing a shore, waves crashing silently in the distance, and nearby rocks and trees leading to a darkened, ominous cave.

Raiko's band stood at left side of the stage, Suetake standing in front of Raiko, and peering around cautiously, now carrying a bow. "Ah!" she exclaimed, pointing at the cave. "There it is! We should find the demon within."

"Then let us proceed," Raiko decided. The quartet marched while the backdrop scrolled towards them, granting the illusion of movement. As they approached the cave, the backdrop showed the interior of the depths.

They paused once completely within the cave, and Tsuna announced, "I hear the sound of battle. A ma- person engaged in a life-or-death struggle."

The lighting on the right side of the stage picked up, showing a previously hidden warrior. This was a taller woman than Suetake, with blonde hair, wielding a staff, much like Kintoki did. Standing before her in an aggressive pose was a small demon with short blonde hair. Her nails were long claws, and her wings and tail twitched as she moved her hands menacingly.

The blonde woman backed away nervously, while the narrator explained, "Raiko and his band had stumbled across Usui Sadamitsu, who was already fighting the demon."

"Prepare to die, silly mortal!" the demon exclaimed, lashing at Sadamitsu with a claw.

Sadamitsu dodged to one side, and waved her staff at the demon. "You can not defeat me, vile thing, for I fight for justice!" she proclaimed.

XXX

"Hey, take it easy!" Mitsune hissed. "I'm supposed to win this fight, remember?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Sarah retorted quietly. "You'll have to beat me the hard way!"

XXX

"So you think!" the demon retorted, leaping at Sadamitsu and lashing out with a foot.

Sadamitsu began to retreat, using her staff defensively. "Ack! Foul - eep! - minion, prepare to - yipe! - die!"

"Never!" the demon yelled, halting when Sadamitsu backed into Suetake.

Raiko's band drew their weapons.

"Well, maybe now," she allowed, turning around and running away, vanishing off the edge of the stage.

XXX

"Quick! Ad-lib, Shinobu's drawing a blank!" Mitsune whispered.

Keitaro nodded thoughtfully.

XXX

"Ah, I see that the demon is mighty indeed," Raiko announced, while Sadamitsu sunk to her knees, and Suetake examined her for injuries. "A creature this vile will require all of our forces combined to defeat. Brave wanderer, what is your name?"

"I am Usui Sadamitsu," the warrior explained, climbing to her feet, her blue hakama and uwagi slightly smudged. "I came here to hunt a demon."

"We are here, too, to hunt that evil being," Tsuna announced. "Would you join with us?"

"Unfortunately," the narrator announced suddenly, "Sadamitsu was too confident to accept their aid. She believed she was strong enough alone, and refused."

Sadamitsu's eyebrow twitched violently, and she shot a dark look off the side of the stage, while the audience chuckled. "Um, no ... I ... can handle this," she said stiffly. "I don't need any assistance."

"Yes," Raiko said, nodding. "You handled yourself very well against that small demon." He paused, shooting the audience a nervous glance, which resulted in another chuckle. "Let us follow you, then. We will not interfere as you battle the one that created it."

"Thank you," Sadamitsu returned, her voice dripping sarcasm.

They all turned, and began marching along, as the scenery shifted behind them, going deeper into the cave. The walls began to take on an ominous red glow, until finally, a pair of larger demons appeared. They were similar to the villains that Suetake had battled, and the smaller demon stood between them.

"You know, I was thinking," Sadamitsu said suddenly, turning to face Raiko.

"What?" he asked, surprised.

"Raiko kindly offered to help Sadamitsu, but she insisted on fighting alone," the narrator said, before Sadamitsu could answer.

One eyebrow ticking, Sadamitsu shot another annoyed look off the side of the stage, then a more fearful one towards the smallest of the demons. "Um, I was thinking that I could handle all these things myself," she grumbled.

The two larger demons grinned happily and began to drool.

XXX

"This isn't fair," Mitsune whimpered, readying her staff nervously.

"Just use what I taught you," Ranma hissed back, winking. "You can put them down without hurting them."

"I can try," Mitsune replied, somewhat more confidently.

XXX

Shinobu sighed, thankful for the small light on the podium that subtly illuminated her script book. Why had Mitsune asked her to make those changes, and then been angry when she'd implemented them? Well, no use worrying about it now - they were almost finished with the first act.

XXX

Looking more confident, Sadamitsu strode towards the demons, her staff held loosely in one hand. "I am prepared for you, evil things!" she announced suddenly.

XXX

"Finally we get one!" Haitani whispered. "And it's even in character, too!"

Shirai nodded waggling his costumed fingertips, with their long claws. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

XXX

The two larger demons - dressed identically to their smaller counterpart - charged Sadamitsu together. Sadamitsu simply dropped her staff, and took up a combat stance.

Reaching towards her chest with his fist, the taller of the demons exclaimed, "I will tear out your heart, mortal!"

Sadamitsu grabbed the clawed hand in her own and stepped to one side, pulling the demon into a throw and sending it halfway across the stage. The other demon backpedaled frantically, but she guided it into another trip, and it sprawled across the first one.

They lay there for a moment, dazed.

XXX

"Shirai ... I say we stay down for the count. These girls are too dangerous."

"Agreed."

XXX

"Unfortunately, Sadamitsu was unable to defeat the demons alone!" the narrator warned. "Realizing her plight, she called for help from Raiko."

Sadamitsu looked up from polishing her nails on her uwagi and glanced at the prone demons, then at the small demon still standing.

It looked around, then winced and said, "Uh-oh."

"Oh, Raiko!" Sadamitsu exclaimed. "I need help, for I cannot finish this battle alone! Why not send one of your assistants to help me?"

Raiko looked confused, then shrugged. "Of course. One of my retainers can aid you - but who should I send?"

"Kaidoranma," Suetake suggested.

"Er ... Kaidomaru, you mean?" Tsuna asked.

"Me?" Kintoki managed. "Uh ... okay, I guess."

Shrugging, the redhead twirled her staff in one hand, stepping around the still prone demons and approaching the short blonde one. "Um, foul demon, prepare to be set to rest forever!"

"You vanquished me!" the demon announced, falling down before she was even within a dozen paces of her. "I am defeated!"

Kintoki stared at the third fallen foe, then shrugged, propping her staff over her shoulder and looking at Raiko expectantly.

XXX

"Ah!" Shinobu protested under her breath. "They just skipped a whole battle sequence." More loudly, she addressed the audience, "Witnessing Sadamitsu's skill, Raiko became convinced that he should add the warrior to his retainers, for all of them combined would be unmatched, and able to stop any evil."

XXX

"Usui Sadamitsu!" Raiko announced. "Would you consider joining with me and my retainers, so that we could journey together and fight evil as a united force?"

"I would be honored, noble samurai, for your retainers are mighty, and your own skill must be great. But what is your name?"

"I am Raiko," he replied, bowing.

Sadamitsu returned the bow. "Then, Raiko, I will gladly serve you."

"And so," the narrator concluded, as all of the light again faded, refocusing on her, "Raiko had assembled his four retainers and once more went on in search of adventure." She stepped to the side of the podium and bowed low as the lights vanished, except for the stage backdrop, which showed an empty stage, and only solid white scenery, with the word 'Intermission' spelled out across the entire thing in bold black letters.

XXX

Still in peasant costume, Naru shook her head. "We're holding in there," she finally managed. "I think the last play went better than this."

"It's going well enough," Haruka reasoned, still dressed as Yamamba. "Everyone take a breather." She turned to look at Shinobu, who looked exhausted. "Excellent work, Shinobu-chan. Especially with that ad-libbing."

Shinobu smiled vaguely and nodded. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"How are the rest of you holding up?" Haruka asked, surveying the troupe.

"I think it's going better than the last play," Keitaro opined, sitting on the grass to catch his breath.

"I'm having fun!" Suu said cheerfully.

"Me, too," Mitsune seconded, winking at Ranma.

"I believe I'm handling my role better this time around," Motoko said quietly.

"It's a bit more painful," Haitani and Shirai said together.

"But, it's actually still kind of fun," Haitani allowed.

"And I liked working on the backdrops with Suu-chan," Shirai said.

"I'm excited!" Mutsumi announced, smiling. "I can hardly wait to see what happens next!"

"It's okay," Sarah allowed, already out of her demon costume.

"And you?" Haruka asked, turning to Ranma.

"I'm fine," she answered. "A bit hungry, but otherwise having fun."

"That reminds me," Haruka said suddenly, smacking one fist into the opposing palm. "I arranged for some refreshments."

"What did you get?" Keitaro asked, perking up slightly. "We didn't have time for dinner, yet, so..."

"Okonomiyaki!" Seta announced, bearing one in his hand and smiling genially. "A friend of yours, I think, Oe-kun."  


* * *

Author's notes:

I hope this isn't too rushed. Any and all C&C welcome. 


	11. Winter Performance Part Two

"Ucchan came back?" Ranma asked, scratching behind one ear in confusion.

"She said she wanted to tell you where she was going to set up her shop," Haruka explained quickly, while Ranma looked around, bewildered.

"I should say hello," she reasoned, before Haruka reached out a hand to restrain her. "Something wrong?" Ranma asked, looking up at the taller woman.

"She's selling refreshments to the crowd. You should wait until after the performance. She's going to be busy during intermissions."

"Oh, well, that's true." Ranma frowned, then snagged a tossed okonomiyaki from the air when Seta flung it at her. "Thanks!"

"No problem!" Seta said cheerily. "The play seems to be going well. How long is the intermission going to be?"

"Just a few minutes or so," Keitaro said, tugging his belt tighter. "Hey, Haruka-basan, where did you manage to get all these costumes, anyway?"

Ranma took an instinctive step back, wincing. "Um, Haruka-san, he does need to be on in a few minutes," she warned.

"Oh, right." Haruka removed her foot from the small of Keitaro's back. "I pulled them out of the attic while Oe-san was replacing some of the bad insulation. I was hoping we'd have an excuse to put on a play," she explained.

Keitaro rose to his feet. "Did you have to trip me like that?" he muttered under his breath, but not quite softly enough for Haruka to miss the comment.

Haruka's glare made the young manager wilt, and Ranma winced in sympathy. "Break a leg," the older woman advised him.

"If I don't, I get the idea you'll do it for me," Keitaro said weakly.  


* * *

Diamonds in the Rough - Chapter Ten - Winter Performance (Part Two)

Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The story of the heroic legend of Raiko and Sakata Kintoki as presented here is public domain. The easel is mine. That's all.

Notes: Divergences should become apparent as relevant. If you are not familiar with the heroic legend of Raiko and Sakata Kintoki, they are explained within these chapters (somewhat).  


* * *

"You should be more careful," Naru warned Keitaro. Turning her attention to the other cast members, she asked, "Shinobu-chan, are you ready?"

"You have a minute," Seta warned. "I have to get back to the lighting system."

Ranma waved, finishing the last bite of her okonomiyaki as Seta turned and strolled away.

"Are we all ready?" Haruka asked, glancing towards Mutsumi and Naru as they vanished into the costuming tent.

"I'm ready," Shinobu said bravely, nodding. "It's easier now, I think."

Haruka peered at the girl and raised an eyebrow. "Eh? You have stage-fright?"

"Not anymore," she giggled. "Should I go out now?"

"Mm." Haruka considered, then nodded . "You should. The lights will change once you're out - everyone else, that means places in a few seconds. Let's go!"

XXX

The lights on the backdrop of the stage dimmed, the 'Intermission' sign fading out and leaving the theater dark for a moment.

A pool of light began at the base of the small podium, expanding until it captured the radiantly glowing narrator. She offered the audience a cheerful smile and began to speak. "Thank you," she said in a voice that filled the auditorium without echoing, "for coming to listen to our story again."

The last bits of conversation in the audience trailed off to silence.

She bobbed her head quickly, offering another smile before her expression became serious. "Raiko and his four retainers journeyed in search of adventures, but one of Raiko's most famous exploits was his fabled battle against the ground spider - Tsuchigumo!" The stage lit up, showing hilly, lushly carpeted terrain. Raiko and his retainers marched along a worn dirt road that cut along the base of one of the hills.

"And this is how Raiko came to know of the ground spider's existence," the narrator explained, while the light on her dimmed, until she was nearly invisible. "For one day, as they journeyed eastward, they came across a distressed young woman and her daughter..."

As Raiko's group reached center-stage, the right half lit up, illuminating a woman with long dark hair in an immaculate sky-blue kimono, kneeling at a small wooden grave-marker. At her side, glancing towards Raiko and his band curiously, was a small blonde child, also in a kimono.

The woman, who looked similar to one of the peasants from Suetake's village, clasped her hands together as she saw Raiko. "Noble samurai!" she cried, climbing to her feet, hurrying to the group while the smaller girl trailed her. "Please," she begged, "you must heed my warning!"

"Warning?" Raiko asked, surprised. "What do you need to warn us of?"

"There is evil here, great and terrible evil," the woman warned, shaking her head, and wobbling on her feet unsteadily. "My husband was taken by the creatures that come by our town at night."

"What manner of creature?" Tsuna asked, stepping forward.

"I do not know, but they are great and terrible." The woman paused for a moment, then leaned to one side, as though listening to the child. She straightened up and nodded. "They move about in the darkness, unseen by our town's warriors."

"Where do they come from?" Suetake asked, stepping forward next to Tsuna.

"The hills, at night - we do not know."

"Why do they attack you?" Kintoki asked, stepping to Tsuna's side.

"They seek to rob of us all we own, and torment us," the woman said, shaking her head. "More, I cannot say, for I do not know."

"When do they attack you?" Sadamitsu asked, moving next to Suetake.

"They attack each new moon, but our preparations for them are in vain," the woman sighed.

"Who leads them?" Raiko asked, one hand going to his sword.

The woman shook her head mutely, then knelt to listen to the child as she whispered something. Nodding, the woman straightened, and explained, "My daughter claims that the forest spirits speak to her, and tell of a cave, not far from here."

"A cave?" the retainers asked as one, frowning.

"A wicked spirit," Tsuna proclaimed, nodding. "For such as they would do these evil deeds."

"No, it is wicked men," Sadamitsu said, shaking her head. "For they would pretend the guise of spirits and prey on unsuspecting innocents."

"No, no! It's fools," Suetake insisted. "Because we will beat them up!"

Raiko glanced between the three, then turned to the redhead. "And you, Sakata no Kintoki?" he asked. "What do the animals tell you?"

Kintoki cocked her head to one side, as though listening to something, then glanced at the audience. "Animals of the forest," she addressed them, "what manner of creature preys upon these innocents?"

The narrator quickly explained, "Sakata Kintoki listened to the animals of the forest when she was a child, and could still hear them on occasion, but only when they were brave!" The light on her brightened, and illuminated her pleading gesture, hands clasped together beseechingly. "Please, warn Raiko and his band about the ground spider, and his army of goblins!" she begged.

There was a long moment of awkward silence, before a child in the audience yelled, "The ground spider!"

Kintoki raised an eyebrow and cupped a hand to her ear, leaning closer. "What was that, animals of the forest?"

More children joined in the cry, saying, "The ground spider! Smash him, Raiko!"

"Yeah! Fight the ground spider, Raiko!" even more children cheered.

Kintoki nodded sagely, trying not to grin, and told Raiko, "The forest animals say that a monster called the ground spider lives here."

Raiko nodded, looking like he was about to laugh. After a moment, he did, chortling, "A lone spider?" He shook his head, grinning. "A lone spider is no match for us!"

The narrator's eyes widened. "Oh no! Raiko doesn't know about the goblins! Whatever will he do?" she exclaimed, looking at the band anxiously.

"Oh, well, if that's all," the woman on the stage began. "Surely you can defeat such a foe simply, and rescue our poor town?"

"You forgot about the goblins!" a child from the audience yelled. "Goblins!"

"Yeah! Goblins!" more of them chimed in. "Be careful, Raiko!"

Kintoki nodded, and opened her mouth, but before she could speak, the narrator stilled the children with her voice. Her speech accented with regret, she said, "Unfortunately, Kintoki had stopped listening to the animals and she failed to heed the warning!"

The redhead blinked, her eyes widening, and turned to look at Raiko, who was equally baffled.

XXX

"Uh, did someone change the script?" Keitaro asked under his breath.

Ranma did not nod, but whispered, "I think so."

"Ad-lib!" Mitsune hissed, forcing a smile.

XXX

"We should hurry to the cave to end this menace early, then," Sadamitsu deduced. "Surely it does us no good to wait here."

"That's ... true," Tsuna managed, turning to regard the woman in the clean kimono curiously. "Would your daughter know of the location of this creature's lair?"

"It's the cave!" the little girl piped up suddenly. "The forest spirits say it's to the north of here."

"Then ... let us make haste," Raiko said, nodding his head. "Is there anything else you wish to tell us?"

Before the woman could reply, a man appeared, seeming to fall from the sky. He was tall, lean, and dressed in black, while spider-webs appeared on the backdrop behind him. "Hah!" he exclaimed, grinning. "I am your foe, Raiko, I am the Tsuchigumo!"

"Ack!" Raiko exclaimed, drawing his blade quickly.

"But we will not fight here!" Tsuchigumo warned, shaking his head. "No, instead, I will give you a reason to fight me!" Leaping effortlessly across the stage, he seized the woman and her child in his arms. Both made surprised noises and struggled, unable to escape the Tsuchigumo's grip. "If you wish to rescue this woman, you must face me. But before you can enter my lair, you must find the sword of a fallen hero." He laughed maniacally, and the audience booed him until he bounded away, vanishing into the darkness above the stage with both girls.

Raiko stared, openmouthed, and sheathed his sword angrily. "The nerve," he growled.

XXX

Under his breath, he added, "I bet you Haruka-basan changed this just to trip us up."

"Could be," Suu whispered. "More fun this way!"

XXX

"Where do we find the sword of a fallen hero?" Tsuna asked, her hand on her own sheathed blade. "The land is vast, and searching may take time."

"Time we don't have," Kintoki added, spinning her staff across her hands idly. "Suetake, do you have any ideas?"

Suetake considered for a long moment and crossed her arms over her chest. "I think we should proceed to the town," she finally suggested. "There, we can find more information and restore our HPs."

The audience chuckled at that, and Raiko winced.

"To the town it is," he said. "Onward, my retainers."

The scene faded to darkness, light focusing in on the narrator. "Raiko and his band made their way to the city where the abducted maiden had come from, searching for more information." When the lights returned, the stage showed a street of an ancient Japanese city, dozens of people milling around in the background. Raiko and his band stood at the right side of the stage, looking around in surprise.

"This is quite a city," Raiko finally said. "We should look for someone to help us find the clues we need to finish our quest."

At that moment, a young woman with light brown hair marched onto the stage, preceded by a pair of guards. The guards looked familiar, one tall, and one short, but slightly rounder. "Ah!" she exclaimed, seeing Raiko and his band. "Samurai, what brings you to our city?"

"We seek to help liberate you from the shackles of the unknown villains that attack you by night of the new moon," Raiko offered, walking to meet the woman mid-stage. His band stood a few careful steps behind him, while the young woman's guards stayed behind her, looking around nervously.

"Is the city so unsafe you require guards?" Tsuna suddenly asked, frowning.

"My father insists that it be so," the woman said, bowing her head. "But if you are warriors come to rescue us, perhaps it is not too late."

XXX

Ukyou warmed her hands over the grill on the yattai behind the auditorium, still able to see across the audience to the stage itself. "You took quite a few liberties with the story," she noted, flipping a warming okonomiyaki.

"Ah, I'm sure everything will work out," Haruka said, shrugging. "Or did I forget to send the last-minute changes to everyone but Shinobu-chan and ... hmmm."

XXX

"Ah ... yes, let us go to meet your father, then," Raiko suggested, peering about nervously. "Before something else happens."

"I am not afraid. The villain that attacks us does so only at night," the woman insisted, smiling brightly. "Please, come with-"

Her speech was interrupted, as the Tsuchigumo leapt to the stage again, grinning in his black clothing. "Danger can strike at any time!" he said cheerfully, causing the children in the audience to gasp.

"Ah!" the tall guardsman exclaimed, leveling his spear. "Flee, princess, it is no longer safe here!"

"We will fight to defend you to our last breath!" the short one added. "Be safe!"

"Be careful!" a child in the audience warned.

The Tsuchigumo simply continued to grin. "Another prize to claim," he said. "Fight me then, guards! Let's see what you're made of!"

They charged together, spears forward. The black-clad man simply stepped to one side and slapped them away, tripping the two guards with a comical lack of effort. The audience laughed quietly at the sight, while the brown-haired woman jumped in fright, quickly dashing to hide behind Raiko.

"Ah! Raiko!" the Tsuchigumo exclaimed, stomping on the stage. A discarded spear flew into his hands, eliciting another gasp from the audience. "Come and face me!"

"Wait!" Raiko protested, his feet plowing up furrows of dirt as the brown-haired young woman began to push him towards the black-clad man. "I haven't found the sword of a fallen hero yet!"

"Oh, well, then I guess this will be a quick fight," the Tsuchigumo drawled.

"Watanabe no Tsuna!" Kintoki suddenly exclaimed, bringing her staff before her. "To me!"

Tsuna wordlessly drew her blade and flowed to the redhead's side, the two blocking the Tsuchigumo's way to Raiko. "Hah!" Tsuna crowed, shaking her head. "You overestimate yourself, Tsuchigumo. Raiko-sama, take the woman to safety and find the blade. We will buy you what time we can against this evil!"

"As will we," one of the guards said, the pair staggering to their feet, murderous rage shining in their eyes.

"We'll get even!" the second added, tossing his spear to the first, and drawing a sword.

"Er ... now, we can be reasonable about this," the Tsuchigumo said, chuckling nervously. The audience booed at him, and he looked mildly offended. "Bah! Well, if you're going to be like that, I won't tell you where to find the sword that can defeat me." The booing increased in volume. In an aside, the Tsuchigumo stage-whispered to the audience, "He'll never know it lies in a dungeon far to the east of here!"

"Are you prepared to fight?" Kintoki asked, leveling his staff at the black-clad man.

"Always," the Tsuchigumo returned. "But if you won't listen, then you can never defeat me. Good will never triumph over evil without wisdom!" He hopped over Kintoki and Tsuna's heads, breezed past Raiko, and snatched the brown-haired young woman up easily. "Hah! Another, Raiko. If you wish to free her, you must face me!"

"No! Smash him, Raiko!" the audience encouraged him.

"I-" but before Raiko could say anything else, the Tsuchigumo had bounded away again. "This is ridiculous!" he exclaimed. "How am I supposed to find this sword, now?"

"The cave to the east!" the children of the audience exclaimed earnestly. "East!"

Raiko's eyes took on a speculative cast, and he sheathed his sword, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. The guards and retainers watched him curiously.

"It's almost as though I can hear the wind," he murmured. "Some quiet voice suggesting that I go..." He trailed off, raising an eyebrow, and glancing across the audience.

"East!" more of the audience chorused. "Head east!"

Raiko took a step towards the edge of the stage and cupped a hand over his ear.

"EAST!" they yelled. "It's to the east!"

"I have it!" he said suddenly, turning to his retainers. "There is a cave to the east of here, and we must retrieve the weapon there."

"Lead us go onwards, then," Suetake said, nodding thoughtfully. "But find a save point, first."

Raiko winced and beckoned the other retainers to follow him, while the audience chuckled again.

XXX

"I hope we get a break, soon," Motoko whispered.

"Me too," Ranma shot back. "I need to check the script - this is crazy."

XXX

The lights dimmed once again, focusing on the narrator. Her eyes were downcast and she frowned in determination before raising her head to regard the audience. "Raiko and his band struggled onward bravely, not stopping to rest until they reached the cave that supposedly contained the key to defeating the Tsuchigumo." She glanced at the darkened stage, and then turned to the audience and begged, "Please, wish them luck."

"Good luck!" the audience cheered, as the lights came on again.

This time, the stage showed a darkened room with stone walls, a large sarcophagus in the center, near a well. Raiko and his band stood beneath a single shaft of light, regarding the setting curiously. Kintoki and Tsuna stood together, regarding a scroll, which Tsuna hastily tucked away when Sadamitsu's quietly coughed.

"So ... this is it," Raiko said doubtfully, surveying the area and shaking his head. "If there was ever a fallen hero, I guess he'd be resting here."

"Yes!" a tall skeleton warrior exclaimed, seeming to spring from the ground itself.

"Exactly right," a shorter, more rounded one added, springing up next to the first.

XXX

"How many roles do these guys have to fill?" Mitsune wondered quietly.

"They should have their own play," Keitaro grumped.

XXX

"And what do you want from us?" Raiko asked cautiously, one hand going to his sword.

"We will challenge..." The tall skeleton trailed off, looking over the assembled warriors, until his eye sockets settled on Kintoki. "Ah! We'll challenge one of you to single combat against the pair of us in exchange for the sword."

"One of us?" Tsuna asked doubtfully.

"Single combat?" Sadamitsu added.

"Against the pair of you?" Raiko completed.

"Yes, and we challenge ... you!" the short skeleton completed, pointing at Kintoki.

The redhead blinked, then shrugged, stepping towards the guards and sending her staff spinning along her arm. She passed it behind her back, over her shoulder, around her wrist, and then reversed the process, finally spinning the thing before her so quickly it blurred into a disc before she abruptly snapped it to a halt, pointed directly at the skeleton warriors. "Okay," she said reasonably, taking up a combat stance while the audience cooed in delight.

XXX

"Must our plans always backfire?" Haitani asked quietly.

Shirai grinned behind his skeleton mask. "I have an idea!"

XXX

"You're not the real Sakata no Kintoki!" the short skeleton accused, pointing at the redhead.

"I'm not?" she asked, surprised.

Curious noises emanated from the audience.

"No! The real Sakata no Kintoki doesn't use a staff, he- uh, she uses an axe, a weapon so great and heavy that most men cannot even lift it, for only Sakata no Kintoki is that strong."

"Well, it's not like I have an axe like that handy," Kintoki grumped, dropping her staff and crossing her arms over her chest. As though obliging a request, a massive axe fell from above, slamming into the stage heavily enough to nearly unbalance Raiko and the skeletons. Sadamitsu and Suetake clung to one another for support, while Kintoki and Tsuna seemed to barely notice. "Oh," she said offhandedly, seeing the weapon stuck in the ground.

Shrugging, she kicked her staff behind her, and reached to lift the axe. She picked it up without any appreciable effort and spun the handle - nearly as long as she was tall - around one wrist, testing it for weight before she gave an approving nod and took up a ready stance. The blade of the axe was almost a quarter as long as she was, and half as wide, with a wickedly gleaming edge. "I'll fight you," she said confidently.

"Did we say we were challenging you?" the tall skeleton asked, scratching its skull in consternation.

"I seem to remember us saying we were going to just give them the sword and let them be on their way," the short one supplied, nodding.

The audience laughed, and Kintoki glanced at them. "Should I let them go?" she asked.

"Smash them!" the audience exclaimed gleefully.

Shrugging, Kintoki turned to the pair of skeletons. "Um ... we'll just leave you to the goblin hordes," the taller of the pair said quickly, turning about and vanishing off the edge of the stage.

"Have fun!" the shorter one added, following the first as he waved farewell.

Kintoki scowled at them, while the audience laughed aloud.

"Goblin horde?" Raiko finally asked, frowning. "And where's the sword?"

Suetake approached the well and peered into its depths. A careless elbow nudged a nearby bucket over the lip, sending up a resounding clatter. Raiko and Sadamitsu winced in tandem, looking around worriedly.

Eyes widening, Kintoki backpedaled, leaping to stand atop the sarcophagus, axe at the ready. "They are coming," Sadamitsu snapped, holding Kintoki's discarded staff before herself protectively.

XXX

"Maybe I took a few liberties too many," Haruka allowed, watching the action across the stage.

"You think?" Ukyou asked dryly.

"Hey, the kids love it," she said defensively. True enough, the children were enthralled with the production. "Thanks for the okonomiyaki."

"No problem," Ukyou said, smiling. "These people love it. When's the next intermission?"

"After the battle," Haruka replied absently. "I wonder if that goblin projector works?"

XXX

As the audience watched, a number of small, ugly creatures began to boil out of the left side of the stage, twisted little man-like forms wearing armor and wielding crude weapons.

They gasped in terror, until a force of about twelve of the monsters had assembled into a rough semblance of a formation and waved their weapons menacingly.

Raiko's band stared blankly, until Kintoki shook her head and looked to Raiko for guidance.

XXX

"This is Suu's doing, isn't it?" Mitsune asked quietly.

Suu smiled brightly, but did not nod.

"It'd have to be," Keitaro hissed. "Will they go away if we hit them?"

"Yes," Suu assured him, still grinning. "They're programmed for maximum stage-presence!"

XXX

Clearing his throat, Raiko announced, "Foul creatures, prepare to face the might of Raiko!"

Sadamitsu nodded uncertainly and swiped at one of the monsters with her staff as it rushed at her. There was a flash of light from the impact, and a glowing number appeared in the air over the monster's head.

"Critical hit!" Suetake exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air enthusiastically, then snatching a bow and quiver of arrows up from the ground.

The monster looked up at the number, and its features twisted into disappointed surprise, before it faded away into nothingness and the remaining creatures charged, yelling a war cry.

The five warriors on stage swung into action together, Kintoki and Tsuna running so quickly that trails of dust puffed up behind them. They seemed to almost pass through the horde of monsters, quickly sliding to a halt on the opposite side of the group. Sadamitsu and Raiko exchanged a look of confusion, as they had only managed a few steps, and Suetake merely pouted.

The monsters stopped and looked at one-another uncertainly, before they all stiffened and suddenly fell into separate pieces, numbers popping up over their heads.

They too faded, and Kintoki slung her axe over her shoulder, Tsuna sheathing her blade.

"Combination attack," Suetake announced disappointedly. "You're hogging all the XPs!"

Kintoki coughed quietly and glanced around. "That wasn't so bad," the redhead finally said, turning to look at the others. "So ... where's the sword?"

XXX

Shinobu winced, and shook her head. Had Ranma forgotten to study the script? Now she would have to cover for the redhead somehow...

"Ah!" she exclaimed, causing each of the players on the stage to pause and listen expectantly. "But what Kintoki didn't know, was what Raiko had learned while fighting the creatures. When he had dispatched two of the go- of his good retainers to fight the monsters, he realized that the Tsuchigumo was lying! There was no need for a special sword to fight the ground spider. All he needed was his own will."

She realized how her words sounded in contrast to the action on the stage, and quickly added, "And the support of his friends."

XXX

Raiko glanced across the stage at his companions and nodded in determination.

"I'm ready to finish this," he announced.

"What about the sword?" Suetake asked, while Sadamitsu leaned on the sarcophagus lid. The stone lid slid to one side and the retainer nearly slipped.

"It's not about having a special sword," Raiko said, shaking his head. "It's about knowing that it's really just time to finish this. For good." He nodded emphatically at that last point.

Behind him, Sadamitsu plucked a sword from the sarcophagus and held it up. It suddenly seemed to burst alight, shedding a powerful blue glow across the stage around her.

Unaware, his back turned to the retainer, Raiko bowed his head and balled his hands into fists. "We may get beaten down, and we may have rotten luck with tests- uh, that life ... throws ... at us." He cleared his throat, his head still bowed.

Sadamitsu took an experimental swipe at the stone sarcophagus with the drawn blade. It passed through the stone with no more visible resistance than water, and a large chunk fell to the stage at Sadamitsu's feet.

"And we may be attacked by monsters and evil men, and ... who knows what else this crazy ... world might throw at us." Raiko raised his head, and fire seemed to glow within his eyes, his face a mask of fierce determination.

The light-haired retainer behind Raiko blinked, glanced across the audience, then grinned and sheathed her newfound blade before tucking it into her belt.

"But it doesn't matter! By the will of the heavens, I swear that we will overcome any obstacle in our path!"

The lights on the stage dimmed, Sadamitsu's sword glowing for a second longer than everything else before it, too, vanished. The light pooled across the narrator, who smiled and said, "And thus began Raiko's battles against the Tsuchigumo to rescue the princesses. Please wait to see what happens next!"

She stepped to one side of the podium, bowed deeply, and then vanished into darkness as the light on her faded, the backdrop glowing with another 'Intermission' symbol. The audience cheered quietly and began to murmur, first a low buzz, but quickly building up to a loud chattering.

XXX

Keitaro looked both haggard and angry, as he paced backstage, muttering to himself.

"Sempai?" Shinobu asked tremulously. "What's wrong?"

He stopped, shaking his head, and sighed. "Nothing," he muttered, as Haruka strolled backstage bearing a small pile of okonomiyaki on a paper plate in one hand.

"Yeah, I forgot to mention, I made a few changes. Shinobu's got the latest copy of the script," Haruka said, shrugging. "Anyway, you guys are ad-libbing pretty well. I like how you play everything up to the audience, too."

"What do you mean?" Suu asked, tilting her head to one side.

"Eh, just that you interact with the audience well," Haruka explained, holding the plate of okonomiyaki out as Haitani and Shirai each claimed one before retreating to nurse their wounds. "Your lines are good, Suu-chan."

Mitsune frowned, snagging one of the okonomiyaki for herself. After taking a bite, she asked, "So, since we're short on time, can you give us some clues about the next scene?"

"Hmm?" Haruka considered for a moment, then said, "This is the final act, so it's got three scenes. The first one will have Ranma and Motoko playing go, while everyone else is asleep. The Tsuchigumo attacks, there's a quick battle with no one getting injured, and he retreats. You fight another group of goblins, and that's the scene."

"That sounds much like the original script," Motoko surmised, flipping through her script book.

Haruka nodded, then continued, "Scene two will have you journeying through the cave on your way to the Tsuchigumo's lair, just to give you time to catch your breath after the battle. You're supposed to go through your revelations about what you've discovered on the journey before you get to the throne room, though."

"Shouldn't there be more to the story for us to have revelations?" Ranma asked, frowning. "We didn't do that much on stage that leads up to this. All I really did was save Yamamba and follow Raiko. Supposedly at this point in the legend we've been together for years, but we really didn't show that in this version of the story."

"Good point," Haruka acquiesced. "We'll cut that scene and skip straight to the final battle, instead."

"Thanks," Keitaro muttered dryly. Shaking his head he prompted, "And the final scene is?"

"Where you rescue the princess, of course." Haruka looked thoughtful for a moment, then frowned. "Though, Mutsumi-chan shouldn't have been kidnapped."

"Looks like Seta took a few liberties with the script on his own," Keitaro sighed. "Um ... so it's just a big fight, then I rescue Narusegawa, and that's the end of the story?"

"Well, there's more," Haruka drawled, checking her watch. "Shinobu will walk you through it - we're out of time. Get ready!"

"Wait!" Keitaro protested, shaking his head. "Where are Mutsumi and Narusegawa?"

"Later, later," Haruka insisted, hustling Shinobu onto the stage and vanishing from sight.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Keitaro said quietly.

Suu juggled a prop skull in one hand and grinned. "Let's go!"

XXX

Once more the narrator appeared, bathed in a glowing pool of light. She bowed again to the audience and said, "Thank you again, for staying to listen to our story."

Straightening, she stepped behind the podium and began to tell the story again, "Raiko and his retainers returned to the city to recover from their battle in the cave and to prepare to attack the Tsuchigumo himself."

The lights on the stage brightened from nothingness, illuminating what looked like the interior of a large house. The forms of Sadamitsu, Raiko, and Suetake lay beneath blankets, while Tsuna and Kintoki stared at a go board.

Kintoki pointed to the sleeping forms and Tsuna glanced back at them. While she was distracted, Kintoki quickly rearranged several stones on the board. Tsuna looked back, regarding Kintoki curiously, but the redhead merely shrugged. Tsuna shook her head and turned to look at the board again, frowning while the audience let out a quiet chuckle.

"While Raiko slept, some of his me- band kept a careful watch, in case something should happen at night," the narrator explained.

A trio of lovely women trooped onto the right half of the stage, shimmering slightly, and nearly glowing with a radiant beauty.

"But the Tsuchigumo's forces arrived in disguise, trying to woo Raiko's band and ... um..." The narrator trailed off as Kintoki and Tsuna both looked behind the redhead at the three glowing women.

Kintoki and Tsuna exchanged a look, glanced down at their respective chests as though to verify their genders, then shrugged blankly, returning to their game of go.

"However," the narrator explained, "the Tsuchigumo's forces were not very bright, so their disguises weren't very good."

The three women flickered for a moment, then wavered, and collapsed, vanishing, and being replaced by a pair of grinning men, one taller, and one not as tall, but slightly more rounded.

Kintoki and Tsuna glanced at them again, then exchanged a glance before shaking their heads quickly.

"But they succumbed to the wiles of the Tsuchigumo's servants," the narrator added, "once they got the disguises right."

Tsuna sighed loudly, as the taller of the men drifted to her side, and knelt there. "I have succumbed completely," she announced in a level voice, shooting the man a glare.

XXX

Motoko eyed Haitani dubiously, and whispered, "Try anything..."

"I think they know," Ranma replied quietly, as Shirai knelt at her side, trying to nod subtly.

XXX

"Ah, I too have succumbed completely," Kintoki announced, yawning slightly.

"Once two of the retainers were distracted, the third of the Tsuchigumo's servants..." The narrator trailed off, while the people on stage who were awake looked around curiously.

A small girl with blonde hair and a kimono bounced onto the stage, waving at the audience and grinning. "I am the third of Tsuchigumo's servants!" she announced. "And while Raiko's followers are distracted, I shall slay him in his sleep!"

She crept across the stage with exaggerated tiptoes, until she was behind the go board. Once there, she balled her hands into fists, and stuck them at her hips. "Hey!" she yelled. "You're distracted!"

Kintoki and Tsuna quickly turned their attention away from her, and to the go board.

The taller of the men winked, and pointed at the board, saying, "You should place another here."

"I'm playing black," Tsuna growled.

"Good suggestion, though," Kintoki added, playing another stone. "Atari!"

Tsuna made a face and frowned at the board. "Devious," she said, shaking her head. She rubbed her chin in thought, then nodded and placed a white stone.

Kintoki raised an eyebrow and frowned thoughtfully.

The small female servant watched the game for a moment, then shrugged and walked over to the slumbering forms of Raiko and his retainers. She grinned gleefully, and the narrator warned, "However..."

Before anything else could be said, the servant took a step back and produced a booklet from inside her kimono. She held it so that the audience could not read the title, and muttered, though her voice carried loudly enough to be heard, "Then servant three attempts to slay Raiko, but is instead slain before her goal could be accomplished." She looked up from her book sharply and stared at Raiko. Frowning, she tucked the book away and approached one of the other disguised servants. "Hey, guys, let's trade jobs!"

"Um ... what?" the taller one asked.

"Oh, um, gee, that would be a bad idea," the slightly more rounded one countered, checking to make sure he wasn't too close to Kintoki, as she played another stone. "We're busy distracting Kintoki and Tsuna, you see."

"Atari!" Tsuna declared, grinning, and folding her arms over her chest triumphantly.

Kintoki nodded sagely and studied the board, then looked up in alarm, and pointed at the disguised servant at Tsuna's side. "What are you letting him do?" she asked in horror.

Tsuna looked at the servant sharply, and Kintoki shuffled a number of the stones around silently. After a moment, she narrowed her eyes and turned her attention back.

Kintoki grinned sheepishly, and placed another stone. "Your turn!"

"Yeah, I can see how hard you're working," the female servant grumped. Marching around the seated servant, despite the fact that she was barely his height even while he was sitting, she kicked him with all her might.

Surprised, he bounced cleanly into the redhead's lap. Kintoki's left eyebrow began to tic and the servant scrambled to get away, exclaiming, "Exchanging duties! Distract her! Distract her!"

Nodding in satisfaction, the blonde turned her attention to the servant at Tsuna's side. The second disguised goblin crept away to join his companion. Tsuna quietly switched some stones around while Kintoki was distracted.

XXX

"This just isn't our night," Haitani said quietly.

"I still blame Keitaro."

"Suicide attack?"

"Suicide attack."

XXX

"Um ... however," the narrator resumed, "Raiko was a light sleeper, and woke when the servants drew near!"

The two disguised servants strode to Raiko's side as he sat up, struggling to untangle himself from the blankets he had gotten trapped in.

"For the glory of the tribe!" the taller servant yelled, launching himself at the hero.

"For the ground spider!" the more rounded one echoed.

XXX

"For crying out loud," Haruka groaned, shaking her head.

Ukyou smirked, flipping over another okonomiyaki. "The best laid plans can go awry," she observed. "I take it that this wasn't in the script?"

"Not really," the woman said dryly.

XXX

"Ack!" Raiko exclaimed, as the three combatants vanished into a writhing ball of fists, feet, and tangled blanket.

"And so, the mighty Raiko dispatched the rogue servants handily!" the narrator cheered.

The brawl dragged on for a long minute, neither side gaining a clear victory, though both Suetake and Sadamitsu sat up to watch, wincing sympathetically from time to time.

Kintoki glanced at the fight, then took the opportunity to rearrange more stones when Tsuna did the same.

The audience watched raptly as the battle began to move across the stage, inexorably rolling past the go players. Neither glanced up, both placing stones quickly and shaking their heads, until an abrupt shift in the fight's path rolled across the go board, scattering stones across the stage, and launching the board skyward.

Kintoki and Tsuna were on their feet in a heartbeat and Kintoki expertly extracted a slightly worn Raiko from the battle, while Tsuna simply kicked the remainder off the stage, where they vanished into the night. Kintoki sat Raiko down, and Tsuna dusted her hands off in satisfaction.

"Um ... after ... Raiko defeated the foes, he rushed to the aid of Kintoki and Tsuna, so they could fight off the remaining ... enemy ... together."

The small blonde servant shook her head quickly and scurried away.

Kintoki shrugged and looked at Raiko expectantly.

"Okay," he said, putting one hand on his sword as he shook his head to clear it. "Now we're going to settle this, once and for all. Are we ready?"

"Yes!" his retainers chorused as one.

The lights on the stage dimmed, focusing on a slightly flustered, yet radiant, narrator.

"Not willing to forgive the Tsuchigumo's transgression, Raiko and his band set out immediately to hunt down and deal with the menace!" the narrator exclaimed, nodding to herself slightly. "They ventured across the plain, and shortly came to the entrance to the cavernous lair that housed their dreaded foe..."

The lights dimmed from the narrator, and brightened on the band of warriors, now walking across the stage, through a cave. After a moment, the light faded, and when it returned, they were walking the opposite direction, through another cave. The process repeated for a few times, until they appeared at one side of a large cavern and Raiko drew his blade confidently.

"Now," he said insistently. "We finish this!"

The interior of the cavern lit up, and a massive wooden throne came into view, empty for the moment. A pair of maidens - the woman and the princess from earlier - were chained to either side, looking somewhat surprised at their predicament. Once the lights finished brightening, the form of the Tsuchigumo dropped from above, landing in the throne and grinning at his guests.

"So you've arrived!" he exclaimed gleefully. "Did you find the blade of a fallen hero? Are you ready to face me, Raiko?"

"I need nothing more than my own strength, and the aid of my companions to defeat any evil!" he said heatedly, bringing his sword to a ready stance and glaring at the Tsuchigumo.

Tsuna glanced at his posture, then blinked in surprise, drawing her own blade and mirroring it. Kintoki nodded confidently and whirled her axe, while Suetake drew back an arrow, aiming her bow at the ground but ready to bring it up. Sadamitsu glanced around, then drew her own blade, which emitted a faint blue glow.

"Ah!" the Tsuchigumo exclaimed. "Then you are, perhaps, ready to face me!" He nodded and stepped into a martial stance, feet apart, hands ready to strike. "Which of you shall I face first?"

"First?" Raiko asked, somewhat dumbfounded.

"Yes, first," the Tsuchigumo said.

Raiko blinked, then started, "Well, I-"

"Sadamitsu, ever brave," the narrator began, while Sadamitsu winced and ducked her head on the stage, shooting a fearful glance at the audience, "volunteered to fight first."

The warrior shook her head mournfully, but gamely approached the Tsuchigumo, glancing back at Raiko to try and emulate his ready stance. "I will fight you!" she proclaimed. "For my master is great, and if I allow him to fight you first, there will be nothing left for the rest of us."

The Tsuchigumo smiled and gestured Sadamitsu forward.

Sadamitsu swiped at her enemy with her sword, but the Tsuchigumo possessed a fluid grace and dodged the blade, stepping within Sadamitsu's guard and pushing her to the ground with a single blow. She rolled across the stage to Raiko's feet, the sword falling from her grasp.

Raiko's mouth opened in surprise and he knelt to examine the warrior, while she twitched weakly.

XXX

"Are you okay?" Keitaro asked anxiously.

"Got ... tickle ... spots ... can't ... laugh..." Mitsune managed to get out, still twitching with barely restrained giggles.

XXX

Raiko's expression flickered, then settled on a dark scowl as he rose to his feet.

"Next!" the Tsuchigumo called out, beckoning another warrior with one hand.

"I'll go," Tsuna said quietly.

The Tsuchigumo grinned and nodded. "Come and approach me," he said.

Tsuna charged, sword ready and carving a silver flash across the stage, narrowly missing her grinning foe. "Not bad!" he evaluated, countering with a foot-sweep that nearly knocked the warrior down. Tsuna held her ground, swiping at the Tsuchigumo's feet half-heartedly and then launching a blindingly fast spin-kick to his midsection.

He had only enough time to raise an arm, but his stance wasn't able to save him from being sent tumbling. Rolling across the stage, he launched himself at the black-haired warrior woman, reaching her before she could recover from the surprise kick.

"Not bad at all," he said, before jabbing her once, in the ribs. Her eyes widened, and she crumpled to the stage, not moving. The Tsuchigumo rubbed his forearm and eyed the remaining warriors. "Next?" he asked.

Kintoki stepped forward, but was cut off by Suetake's exclamation. "Me first!" the small warrior enthused, dropping her bow and running towards the Tsuchigumo.

Nodding, he ducked beneath her flying kick and spun around for a graceful sweep at her landing position - however, the girl didn't land where he had expected. Instead, she latched onto the limb, quickly scurrying up the Tsuchigumo's leg, and then sitting astride his shoulders, small fists drumming ineffectually at his head.

Surprised, the Tsuchigumo recovered his balance and then adjusted his spectacles. "Innovative," he said, nodding, before he wriggled out of the girl's hold and touched her side. She made a sharp noise as she tumbled to the ground between the other two fallen warriors. "This is kind of fun," he said in an aside to the audience.

His reward was more booing and hissing from the audience. Taken aback, he almost didn't notice Kintoki stepping forward, axe at the ready. "Now we fight," Kintoki said darkly, the massive gleaming edge of her blade shining in the light.

"So we do!" the Tsuchigumo cheerfully replied.

The two rushed one another, Kintoki holding the axe high, both of them advancing so swiftly that puffs of dust rose from the ground beneath them.

Just before the two combatants collided, Kintoki dropped the massive axe and slipped to one side, her arm only barely missing the Tsuchigumo's chest. His counter was a kick in passing, which sent her rolling, but the forgotten axe tumbled through the air, the heavy wooden post on the back of the blade meeting the Tsuchigumo's face with a loud thudding noise. The audience laughed, echoing loudly into the night.

The small redhead rolled across the entirety of the stage, coming to a rest just past Suetake at the feet of the dark-haired woman chained to the throne. She looked down at the fallen warrior in consternation, then turned to watch the Tsuchigumo, who had also fallen down. Climbing unsteadily to his feet, he rubbed at his nose, still smiling. "That was clever," he admitted. "Next?"

Raiko stepped forward and opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the narrator overrode him. "But Raiko did not rush to meet the Tsuchigumo's attack!" she said. "Instead, he turned to his fallen companions, and rallied their flagging spirits."

"Rise, my retainers!" Raiko exclaimed, gesturing grandly with his sword. Unsteadily, they did so, all four eyeing the Tsuchigumo with suspicion, amid the audience's cheers.

The narrator waited for the exclamations to die down before speaking again. "Raiko's retainers knew they were powerful, and mighty indeed, but they were most powerful when they worked together," she offered.

Raiko nodded in response. Smiling, the Tsuchigumo exclaimed, "Then, I will face all of you at once. But!" Raising his arms, he leapt atop the throne and pulled a large switch behind it. In a quick sequence, the throne unfolded and raised the chains binding his two prisoners, suspending them over a giant cookpot. "You must hurry, Raiko, if you are to rescue these prisoners!"

"However," the narrator warned, before anyone could move, "his plans were even more devious than they had considered, for the Tsuchigumo had kidnapped another princess, and added her to the prisoners that Raiko must rescue."

Tsuna stared blankly for a moment, then produced a scroll from her uwagi. Kintoki peered at it with her, until they came to a specific point, while the Tsuchigumo pulled a book from one pocket, and flipped through it, scanning quickly. Tsuna and the Tsuchigumo both looked up from their records at the same time, and shared a shrug, throwing the papers into the large cookpot. Sadamitsu flinched away as the papers burst into flame instantly.

"Third princess," the Tsuchigumo murmured, frowning. "Now, where can ... er ... did I get one of those?"

Sadamitsu grinned wickedly, and gestured the Tsuchigumo forward. He approached cautiously, and she stood up on tiptoe, whispering into his ear, while everyone else leaned close to try and listen in. The Tsuchigumo nodded thoughtfully several times, then grinned happily. Then Sadamitsu stepped away, cleaning her glowing blue sword and whistling innocently.

"There is no limit to my evil!" the Tsuchigumo exclaimed. "Behold, I am so wicked I would even kidnap..." He trailed off, stalking to the front edge of the stage and eyeing the audience as though they were all potential victims. After a moment, he shook his head, his grin widening. "I've kidnapped ... the narrator!"

The audience gasped in surprise and exchanged confused looks while the Tsuchigumo leapt to the dark spot that the narrator hid in, extracting her with only a mild squeak of surprise. In short order, he had her strung up between the other two prisoners, and all three were hanging over the cookpot.

"Now," he said, clapping his hands together. "You must choose, Raiko!"

"Choose?" he said without comprehension.

"Strike me down, or rescue one of these girls!"

"I can't make a choice like that!" he exclaimed.

"What, between fighting, or which of us to rescue?" the dark-haired prisoner asked thoughtfully.

"Um..."

"Why make a choice?" Suetake asked. "There are enough of us to take him down! Attack, warriors, Raiko can rescue whichever one he wants!"

"Why only one?" Raiko asked earning him a growl from the lighter-haired prisoner.

"Because the chains will drop the ones you don't save into the cookpot," Suetake warned.

XXX

Keitaro's heart froze in his chest, only to restart a moment later. Of course, he didn't know if what Suu said was true, but even if it was, she had promised that none of her additions would actually hurt anyone. But that didn't change the fact of the matter that he had to make a choice.

"Uh ... I don't know," he said nervously, prompting the audience to boo him. "If I can only save one, which one should it be?"

"Oh, save me," Mutsumi said suddenly, smiling brightly. "I have a child to look after."

"What?" Naru exclaimed angrily, before realizing Mutsumi's earlier role in the play. She recovered gracefully, saying, "How can you wonder at the choice, Ke- Raiko? I am a princess! If you rescue me, my family will see that you are richly rewarded!"

Behind Keitaro, the retainers had gotten into a scuffle with the Tsuchigumo, slow play fighting, which looked good, and distracted the audience, though some still called, "Coward!" or "Choose the cute one!"

"They're all cute," he muttered quietly. "But that's not-"

"I'm a princess too!" Shinobu exclaimed, wriggling in her chains, and glancing down into the cookpot fearfully. "Plus, I can cook, and clean, and ... and if you pick me, I'll marry you!"

Naru's eyes widened at that, and her mouth hung open. She found her voice quickly, and countered, "If you pick me, I'll marry you, too!"

Keitaro shook his head, glancing between the three nervously. His gaze drifted up, seeing where the chains were secured. The audience wouldn't be able to see, thanks to the positioning of the lights, but he could see the devices they were secured with, in the side of the framework of what had once been the throne.

Suu's trademark symbol adorned the seals, probably meaning somehow, if he made a choice, it would be as she said.

"I don't know what to do," he said aloud, forgetting the play entirely in the face of the decision before him.

His sword fell from his hands as he looked between the three, unable to choose.

XXX

Ranma tried to clear her mind of what was going on in the background - Keitaro's dilemma was, for the moment, his own, and not anything to do with her. At the same time, she had sympathy for the manager, and wished him the best of luck.

She blocked a blow from Seta, sliding across the stage with it and growling in mock anger. Suu had set her bow aside and gathered up a staff, which she used to whack at Seta when her turn came around in combat. The man was genial enough, taking a blow or two for the ones he actually landed, and while powerful enough to knock the supposed heroes around, they were also gentle enough not to cause real damage.

Ranma thought she might actually get used to stage combat, all told.

"The timer's activated!" Suu exclaimed suddenly, pointing to the top of the framework suspending the chains. An hourglass had sprung up there and was trickling down, only a minute remaining at best before it ran out.

Keitaro groaned, sinking to his knees and shaking his head.

What was taking him so long?

XXX

Keitaro shook his head, torn. What kind of decision was this, anyway? No matter what Naru said, it was all about the play, not reality. Though he had the suspicion that the entire affair went deeper, to some degree; he already knew about Naru and Ranma, and the fact that they were dating.

His feelings aside, how could he pick her, knowing that? And Shinobu? She was cute, certainly, and every bit as earnest as any man could want, and good in a kitchen, and with cleaning... And Mutsumi? She was beautiful, and affectionate, and gentle...

Mutsumi? Well, if Ranma was choosing Naru already ... but then, in the play, how would Raiko justify sacrificing two princesses to spare a single commoner woman? And why had they suddenly decided to put this into a play for children?

He shook his head again and considered for a moment. The play had been a disaster already, so why should he bother trying to preserve it? He could set that aside and then concentrate on who he really wanted to pick.

But which one?

He raised his eyes and looked at Naru. She had fallen silent, looking down at him with a mixture of concern and fear, only a hint of anger playing about her eyes. She was angry that he wasn't helping the play, he supposed. And afraid of hurting his feelings if he chose her ... and concerned for the same reason. She did care, enough to try and hide her relationship with Ranma until after the test.

His gaze turned to Shinobu next, her gaze a combination of hope and panic, each warring for dominance. He didn't understand everything that Haruka had done with the script, but he had a suspicion, at least, that Shinobu had made some changes of her own. But why? Did she ... want him to choose her for some reason?

Maybe she liked him. She was also a princess, and more than that, the narrator, which would help the play ... if he still cared about that. Should he pick someone who could return his affection?

Moving his eyes onward, he finally found himself looking at Mutsumi, who offered him nothing more than a cheerful and encouraging smile. Did she like him?

Probably not, though it was hard to say. She seemed to like everyone equally, and offer him no special preference. And then, she wasn't there entirely by choice, if he understood the changes to the script. The only prisoner should have been Naru. Which would have made everything so much easier. He dropped to his knees, still not able to choose, as Suu warned about a timer.

"Just like a test," he murmured. "One I'm going to fail."

XXX

"What happens when the timer runs out?" Ranma asked, ducking underneath a blow from Seta.

"They all drop!" Suu warned.

"What?" she asked, stunned enough that she nearly took the next punch to the chin. "Well, we don't have time! All of us need to get rid of this guy so we can rescue them!" she exclaimed, exchanging a meaningful glance with Motoko.

"Is that so?" Seta asked, grinning. "Only the sword of a fallen hero can defeat me, you know."

"Not with our strengths combined!" Motoko retorted, she and Ranma charging towards the man together. He was good, but together, they should be able to take him out, Ranma thought.

The Tsuchigumo grinned and pulled something from his pocket, showing it to Motoko. The kendoka's charge broke off and she began to frantically backpedal. Ranma scowled, deciding it was all up to her ... and without the benefit of her bracers or her proper form. Well, she'd just have to-

XXX

Shinobu winced as both Motoko and Ranma were repelled from attacking Seta. Motoko was warded off with Tamago, and a kitten sent Ranma panicking, to cower behind Motoko. Well, that wouldn't do any good.

She bit her lip, glancing down at the very hot looking liquid beneath her, and then over to Naru. The other girl's gaze was fixed firmly on Keitaro, who was still torn with indecision. "R...Raiko!" she called out, prompting Keitaro to raise his dull-eyed gaze to meet hers. "You must vanquish the Tsuchigumo! Your retainers can't do it alone!"

A hushed cheer met the proclamation from the audience and Keitaro nodded slowly, gathering up his sword and turning around to face Seta.

Seta was fighting against Suu and Mitsune, though in truth he made it look an easy dance, while he merely played with the pair of them. Keitaro barked out a challenge, bristling with anger - he was such a good actor, she thought admiringly. He made it look like the emotion was real!

"Fell minion! Face me!" he cried, bringing his sword to bear and slashing viciously at Seta. His slash missed, though barely, and Seta's eyes widened in surprise.

"You can fight!" Seta exclaimed. "Very well, then, though you lack the sword of a fallen hero."

"It's right here!" Mitsune exclaimed in annoyance, while Shinobu tried to see the hourglass that warned how much time she had left before the chains dropped her and the others into the cookpot full of hot red ... whatever it was. Surely it only _looked_ like molten steel.

Seta fought off the three attackers at once for a moment, then unexpectedly lashed out with a spin-kick, laying all three down. "That was disappointing," he chided, shaking his head.

Motoko and Ranma had finally climbed to their feet and whispered quietly to one another for a moment, before nodding and breaking apart.

Ranma ran in a curved path, one that left her standing where Keitaro had deliberated, and Motoko crossed to the other side of the stage, passing around Seta and leaving the man confused for a moment. He turned to Ranma as the redhead rubbed her hands together, then pointed her palms at Seta and yelled, "Mouko Takabisha!"

A ball of golden flame formed in Ranma's hands, only a handful of centimeters across, but glowing brilliantly, flecked with specks of vibrant blue. The audience gasped collectively, and then Ranma launched the ball of energy at Seta.

Seta set himself to receive the attack, and it dissipated harmlessly before reaching the bespectacled man. He frowned in consternation, just as Motoko reached him from the side, her blade slashing in front of him and making him dance backwards, where he tripped over her extended leg. She immediately fell backwards, rolling away, while Ranma flung herself across the stage, reaching Seta in a heartbeat.

Shinobu's eyes widened as Seta, impossibly quickly, chuckled, and pulled the kitten from his pocket again, tucking it into Ranma's gi. The redhead dashed off, quickly running into a panicking circle, while Motoko growled low in her throat and lunged at the man again.

This time, her attacks failed to penetrate his defenses, and she found herself the recipient of a similar attack, quickly running around the other part of the stage, arms waving frantically, while the audience booed the would-be heroes. "Who's afraid of a kitten or a turtle?" one loud child asked, causing Shinobu to wince in sympathy.

"What do we do now?" she mused quietly.

"Pray for a miracle," Naru sighed. "He'll never choose."

"Oh, but he's nice anyway," Mutsumi reasoned.

"Ah!" Shinobu exclaimed loudly. "Raiko and his band have fallen! Call to them, encourage them to fight on!"

The audience began cheering, weakly and disjointed at first, but quickly settling into a chant of, "Raiko! Raiko! Raiko!"

Roused by the noise, Keitaro staggered to his feet, followed by Suu bouncing upright, and Mitsune climbing up after Keitaro, leaning heavily on her sword. "Take this blade," she said weakly, stumbling, but remaining upright and handing the blade over to Keitaro. He took it, surprised by the blue glow, then nodded, features assuming a determined set.

"I didn't want to have to use this," he said aloud, frowning. The audience gasped, certain that this was to be a truly epic battle. His voice dropping so that only those on stage could hear, he muttered, "My family will be furious."

Shaking his head, he sheathed his blade and tossed the one he had used previously to Seta. "I will fight," he said, nodding, one hand on his sword hilt, the other clenched into a fist over his chest. "I am a man, too." Seta caught the blade, raising an eyebrow, and Keitaro smiled grimly, right foot kicking at the ground beneath him. Once. Twice. A third time, while both hands shifted positions.

Then, he vanished, reappearing just before Seta and slashing with his sword. Seta returned the smile, his raised blade sparking against Keitaro's violently, blue light suffusing the area as he barely managed to parry the blow. "So I see," Seta said aloud, though probably he hadn't meant for Shinobu or the others to hear it. "I know that style."

Keitaro nodded, and then the two began to fight.

Their sword motions were smooth, and blindingly fast. Shinobu's eyes could only barely keep up with the action, sparks flying everywhere. The blue glow from Keitaro's sword danced with him, and it _was_ like a dance, full of life and grace, one that she envied deeply, wishing that she possessed half of that fluid movement. "Wow," she said admiringly.

"I wonder how long they had to rehearse," Naru managed, wide-eyed. "That's spectacular."

"I bet it's secret ninja training!" Mutsumi opined quietly.

The joke jarred Shinobu from her daze, and she struggled to twist and see the hourglass. "How much time do we have left?" she asked.

A loud clunk from overhead answered her, and the audience gasped, while the chains began to slowly lower the three into the cookpot.

"Oh," she said quietly, fighting back a whimper.

"It's not dangerous," Mutsumi said in encouragement. "Real molten metal would have enough heat that we'd be burned by being hung over it." A small metal clip fell from her hair, bouncing on the surface of the red glowing surface before liquefying, surrounded by a halo of flame.

"Trust Suu to find a way," Naru groaned. In a loud voice she called out, "Ke- Raiko! You must rescue us!"

Nodding, Keitaro didn't look at her, instead pressing his attack, sending Seta retreating across the field of battle, until finally the man tripped, and raised both hands in surrender. "Spare me!" he pleaded. "I'll reform! Honest!"

"Smash him, Raiko! Smash him! He's a bad guy!" the audience insisted.

Nodding grimly, Keitaro plunged his sword into the stage behind Seta from the audience. "It is done," he called out, kneeling at the man's side, and making as though to pray for his fallen foe, murmuring something quietly.

XXX

"Seta-san, I need some advice! How do I pick which one to rescue?"

"Tricky," Seta said as quietly as he could. "Keitaro ... follow your heart. Nothing else."

Swallowing, Keitaro nodded, understanding the man's advice.

XXX

Naru wriggled about, wondering if she could swing herself past the lip of the cookpot and escape, but that became moot as Keitaro leapt to the rim of the cookpot, and leapt again towards her. A single stroke from the glowing blade in his hands severed the chain and left her to fall into Keitaro's outstretched arms.

He landed on the other side of the cookpot and looked up in consternation. An expertly aimed shot from Suu wedged between the links of Shinobu's chain and the structure suspending it, halting the chain's descent, but she had no time for another shot, as with Naru freed Mutsumi began to plummet the remaining meter to the cookpot.

"Oh, my!" she exclaimed, eyes widening.

A yowling hiss echoed across the stage, and Ranma bounced over the edge of the cookpot, springing off the side and somehow intercepting Mutsumi's fallen form. She bounced back over the edge and landed on the stage, Mutsumi sprawled across her back. Once Mutsumi straightened up and Ranma was free, the redhead began to purr, a rumbling noise that even the audience could hear.

Swallowing nervously, eyes shining with emotion, Shinobu said, "And Kintoki, once Kaidomaru, found strength in animals she had never known, finding the power to become one, for a time."

"Nice kitty," Mutsumi cheered, scratching Ranma behind the ears.

Mitsune and Suu quickly managed to get Shinobu down and removed the chains from Shinobu and Naru - Mutsumi's were shredded when the girl dangled them over Ranma's head, and then the lights all shut out.

XXX

Ukyou wiped her hands on a small towel and nodded doubtfully. "I'll give you to the count of thirty," she said. "Then I hit the switch, and run back to the yattai. Okay?"

"It's fair!" Haruka shot back, jogging towards the stage.

XXX

After a few seconds passed, long enough for the audience to summon a quiet cough or two, the lights returned, illuminating all of the actors and actresses standing in a row, holding hands and smiling. They bowed, and the audience cheered happily, a few of the children standing on the benches and waving their arms excitedly.

"Thank you!" the narrator called out, and the cast bowed again. "Thank you for enjoying our performance!"

Another round of applause and cheering rang out, as the house lights came on, illuminating the entire auditorium.

XXX

Once the play was over, Ranma sat on the side of the stage, Motoko not far away, the pair both glad that the turtle and kitten had respectively been ushered away. "That was humiliating," Ranma grumped, her costume still wet from the hurried dousing Haruka had subjected her to, snapping her out of the neko-ken.

"I know," Motoko said quietly, blushing. "I think I am happy that Aneue was not here to witness it."

Ranma nodded knowingly, while the rest of the cast milled around on the stage. People picking up okonomiyaki on their way out of the play would surround Ukyou, keeping her busy for a while yet. She yawned, raising her arms over her head, and stretched. "I think that was kind of fun, though," she allowed.

"I enjoyed it," a man said, grinning, and giving Ranma a thumbs-up.

Ranma nodded at the man, falling clean off the earthen lip of the stage, then scrambling to her feet and staring with wide, shocked eyes at him.

The others broke off their chattering, looking at the man curiously, wondering what had Ranma so stunned. He wore somewhat ragged jeans, and a faded but clean T-shirt beneath an open brown fur-lined coat. Two gloves were tucked into one pocket, and he had a relaxed, easy grin with an expressive and kindly face. Dark bangs crept out from beneath the edge of the blue cap he wore - turned backwards though it was.

"Nice job, Ranma!" the man encouraged, still grinning.

Ranma managed to eke out an excited, "Aniki!" before scurrying to the man's side and pounding him on the back. "Aniki! How've you been?"  


* * *

Author's notes:

And you thought he'd never have a role in this fic. Nyaha! 


	12. Wrap Party

"Ah!" Haruka exclaimed, looking between Ranma and the elder Oe. "So this is the older brother we hear so much about."

The man blinked, surprised, and turned to survey the rest of the cast, his eyes widening in appreciation. "You've heard about me?" he asked. He shook his head suddenly, striking a pose. "Where are my manners?" He released his pose after a moment and grinned boyishly. "I'm Oe Kintaro!" he greeted, bowing to the assembled group. "It's nice to meet you!"

A quick round of introductions and handshaking followed.

"Ooh," Mitsune cooed. "He's just as handsome as Ranma."

"Eh?" Ranma and her older brother noised as one.

"We don't have to discuss things in the cold," Haruka chided before anyone else could answer. "Why don't we all go into the inn to celebrate finishing the play?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Keitaro said decisively, grinning at the smiling people surrounding him.

"After you finish cleaning up out here, of course," Haruka added, surveying the makeshift stage.  


* * *

Diamonds in the Rough - Chapter Eleven - Wrap Party

Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine. That's all.

* * *

"Of course," Keitaro sighed.

"It'll go faster if we all work together," Mutsumi offered.

Keitaro brightened, and with everyone working together, the materials were stowed quickly, except for the benches, which Ranma promised to take care of later.

That done, everyone swarmed into the main room of the inn, glad to be out of the steadily deepening chill of the evening.

Shinobu poured everyone drinks, and then they raised their glasses in a toast. "To the great play you put on!" Ukyou called out, finally having finished serving all the people who had attended the show. "You did a great job!"

"An awesome job!" Kintaro seconded.

With that, they all drank. Once the toast was over, Mitsune turned to Kintaro and offered him a thoughtful smile. He returned the smile, sitting at Ranma's side. "So, now that we meet the mysterious older brother, tell us about yourself," she prompted him.

"Oh, so you're Ranchan's older brother?" Ukyou asked excitedly, setting down her glass and studying Kintaro with interest.

"Er ... that's me!" Kintaro hazarded, blushing faintly. "What's Otouto told you about me?"

"Not much," Suu said, peering at the man intently. "Are Kintaros and Keitaros related somehow?"

Seta chuckled at that and shook his head, ruffling Suu's hair. "I doubt it's like that," he said cheerfully. "Though, now that you mention relations, my older sister married an Oe..." He trailed off as his expression became more thoughtful and turned to study Kintaro speculatively. "I wonder..."

Kintaro shrugged. "I don't know," he said slowly. "I'm the oldest living male in the family, and ... er ... well, except for Otouto, the only member with the name at all."

Seta frowned, rubbing his chin. "When I was younger, I was visiting an excavation site with my parents in Bashtarl. My older sister was already married with two children. I think her husband was named Oe... Oe Oji. But while we were gone, she and her husband had an accident, and her children - my niece and nephew, I suppose - vanished. Management of the family was passed to my niece, and she married very young, so we were never able to find them again."

Ranma looked between Kintaro and Seta curiously, but Kintaro merely shook his head. "How old were they?" the elder Oe asked.

"Well, she was sixteen, or so, and he wouldn't have been more than five or six at the most," Seta answered after a pause. He chuckled dryly and shook his head. "It seems to be a tradition in my family to have children unusually far apart in age. Ah, it's probably only a coincidence. I wish I could remember their names, but that was ... well ... just over twenty years ago." Everyone looked at Seta attentively, and he laughed ruefully. "Sorry! Me and my old story have distracted everyone. I think Keitaro-kun did a very good job on the play."

Mitsune nodded and slapped the young man affectionately across the back. "Good job, Keitaro!" she encouraged.

He nearly choked on his drink, but smiled anyway, face coloring in embarrassment. "It wasn't easy," he finally admitted. "But it was great fun with all of you guys! Especially you two, Haitani, Shirai."

"They say to become an artist, you must endure great hardships, and terrible suffering," Shirai said, grinning.

Haitani gulped a quick mouthful of his drink, then piped up, "With our suffering for this play, we're soon going to be able to be the best actors in all of Japan!"

Everyone chuckled at that, chattering in small groups, until Ukyou revealed a huge platter covered in okonomiyaki. "Everyone eat up!" she encouraged. "You've earned it."

Ranma - now male again - snatched one from the top of the pile and wolfed it down eagerly. "Excellent as always, Ucchan. How long are you going to be in the area?" he asked.

"Just for tonight, really," she admitted, beaming him a smile. "I'm opening my shop next month. I can give you directions for how to get there, if you'd like. Will you come to my grand opening?"

"You bet!" he said enthusiastically. His grin faded, and he turned to his older brother. "Aniki? How long are you going to be here?"

Kintaro shook his head as though roused from some distracting thought, and frowned. "That's a good question," he mused, rubbing his chin. "I just wanted to come by and visit you after I got your letter. Probably only a day or so before I get back to traveling." He looked suddenly evasive. "Things seem to happen if I stay put too long without learning something new."

"Is that all that brought you here?" Naru asked, settling into a cushion comfortably.

"Well, no, not all," Kintaro admitted. "I also need to go to Todai to finally get around to picking up that law degree."

"Oh, you're trying to get into Toudai too?" Naru asked.

Keitaro frowned. "I thought you already said your brother attended Todai, though," he said, turning to Ranma.

"That's right!" Ranma said, smacking one fist into the palm of the other hand. "He passed all of the exams to get his degree, but left before actually picking it up."

Naru and Keitaro choked on their drinks in tandem, then stared at Kintaro fixedly. "Finally get around..." Keitaro began.

"... to picking up that law degree?" Naru completed.

"Why?" Keitaro and Naru asked together, the pair of them seeming to think the idea a blasphemy.

"Well, something more important came up," Kintaro said dismissively. "It was only a few months of classes anyway."

Silence filled the room, punctuated by Haruka pulling a cigarette from one pocket and putting it to her lips, though she did not light it.

"That's quite impressive!" Mutsumi finally exclaimed, clapping her hands together in delight and shattering the fragile silence.

Kintaro offered an embarrassed and good-natured chuckle, ducking his head at the praise.

"Well," Keitaro finally said, shaking his head. "Most of us are still trying to get into Todai, Oe-san, so we're going to use you as inspiration to do our best!"

"Right!" Naru and Ranma cheered in tandem, raising their glasses. "To Todai!"

"I'll drink to that!" Mutsumi chimed in. "Sake, anyone?"

XXX

After the morning workout and training, Keitaro retreated to the baths, joined by both Ranma and his older brother. The men all relaxed in the soothing heat, luxuriating in the warmth.

"I see you've been working on your martial arts again," Kintaro said suddenly, straightening slightly and peering at his younger brother.

Ranma nodded at that, grinning proudly. "And you came by too late to see it today, but I'm teaching now," he added.

Kintaro smiled, leaning back against a rock and peering up into the swirling steam clouds above.

"By the way, Aniki ... how do you know Happosai?" Ranma asked, cocking his head to one side.

"Eh?" Kintaro asked, taken aback. "Well ... that's ... um ... a long story," he hedged.

"I'm curious myself," Keitaro added in quickly, glancing between the two. They did seem similar in many respects ... if he hadn't been told otherwise, Keitaro suspected he would really have believed them to be biologically related.

"Well..." Kintaro looked thoughtful and distant for a moment, then nodded his head. "When I was very young, I lost my entire family," he explained.

Ranma straightened up and turned to watch Kintaro attentively.

"I suppose I was ... ah ... maybe five or six years old. Anyway, after I lost my family, I had nothing to my name but the clothes on my back and a backpack with a few things from my old home in it. While wandering, I ended up stumbling across an old man. He said that he would teach me martial arts ... and he did."

"You learned from Happosai?" Ranma asked, stunned. "Why did you say you learned somewhere else?"

"Well ... Happosai trained me for a few years," Kintaro said uncomfortably. "But I thought that ... something was wrong with the way his school worked, so I told him I would make myself find a better way ... a higher art that could defeat his school. Then I started learning all over again from a different master." He grinned. "That was the beginning of the Oe Ronin-Ryu, Otouto."

"That makes sense," Ranma allowed, nodding. Cocking his head to one side curiously, he asked, "So why did Happosai send me a package from your place?"

"Happosai knows why you left," Kintaro stated bluntly, offering a sympathetic smile. "I think that ... even though we don't agree on the philosophy of our arts, he respects us."

"Why you left?" Keitaro asked quietly, curious.

Kintaro offered a blank expression at that, as though distracted, and Ranma only looked away, down into the water.

"Um ... Oe-san?" Keitaro prompted anxiously, looking at Ranma.

"I don't want to talk about it," Ranma said quietly. "It's from a long time ago. Something that doesn't really matter anymore." He shook his head, meeting Keitaro's eyes, and asked, "Have you talked to Narusegawa lately?"

The dagger of betrayal stabbed into Keitaro's heart, and he forced a smile. "Not really," he said quietly, though he felt he understood Ranma's point. Ranma didn't want to talk about his past, and Ranma suspected that Keitaro had already figured out that Narusegawa was interested in the martial artist. Obviously, they should mutually avoid certain topics.

"I think you should," Ranma advised, frowning.

"Which one is Narusegawa?" Kintaro asked, glancing between the two.

"Hmm? Oh, the uh ... medium-height violent one with glasses and light-brown hair," Ranma offered.

Keitaro couldn't help but frown at that. Violent? She hit Ranma less than she hit him. How was that violent?

Kintaro laughed as though it were a joke between them and Ranma probably didn't mean it that way. "You like her, Otouto?" Kintaro pressed, leaning towards his younger brother and grinning.

Ranma's eyebrows rose, and he shook his head quickly. "Aniki," he protested, flushing slightly. "It's not like that - I'm interested in someone el- Um..." He coughed. "I'm not interested in anyone right now."

Kintaro smirked, nodding knowingly, while Keitaro blinked in surprise. Ranma didn't like Narusegawa? Keitaro couldn't be certain, but he doubted that Ranma would lie to his older brother. Was it ... somehow a misunderstanding? Were Narusegawa and Ranma _not_ seeing one-another?

"Well, I've soaked long enough," Ranma said suddenly, before Kintaro could ask another question. Shrugging, Kintaro followed his younger brother from the baths, leaving Keitaro alone.

He mulled over what he had learned for a long moment, wondering what he should do. Could it be, perhaps, for the best if he were to just talk with Naru, and finally get everything out in the open? Certainly ... it couldn't hurt, could it? Of course not! If he were to meet Narusegawa, and the two were to talk on the level, surely nothing could go wrong!

Nodding to himself, he rose, sloshing across the bath and climbing out. Just as he reached the edge of the wooden bathing platform, one foot on the surface, one still in the bath, the sliding door to the changing room slid open, and the female residents of the inn strode in. He froze, eyes widening in terror.

Well, some things could still go wrong, he realized shortly.

XXX

"You know," Keitaro remarked, nursing the slap mark across his cheek, "you two seem pretty lucky when it comes to dealing with angry women."

Kintaro and Ranma both winced and exchanged a pointed glance. Shaking his head, Kintaro changed the subject, asking, "Do the two of you study together to try and get into Todai?"

Keitaro nodded, turning his attention to the small pile of study guides on the low table in front of him. "Mutsumi-chan and Narusegawa also study with us, though," he added, when Kintaro picked up a booklet and flipped through it.

"Good study habits," Kintaro said neutrally. "But then, everything is study, because life itself is learning. Right, Otouto?"

"Right, Aniki," Ranma replied, grinning. "I haven't forgotten what you taught me."

Kintaro nodded knowingly, sporting a wise smile, and rubbing the bottom of his chin with his thumb. "Yes, yes," he allowed. "But at the same time, you must always follow your own path."

"Er ... what does this have to do with studying?" Keitaro asked, frowning. "I thought you were going to help us out with studying, since you already went to Todai."

Kintaro leapt to his feet, grinning, and posed dramatically. "Ah! Well, then, that's simple. You just need to study like me!" he cried out.

"How do I do that?" Keitaro asked eagerly.

Kintaro pointed directly at Keitaro, and the dorm manager suddenly had the sensation of looking up a great distance to meet the older man's eyes. "First," he intoned deeply, "you must acquire a bicycle."

"A bicycle?" Keitaro dismissed the comment as a joke and shook his head. "And then?"

Keitaro's eyes widened and he leaned back as Kintaro put one foot on the table, increasing his height and leaning closer to the manager. "Then," Kintaro thundered, waggling his finger back and forth, "you must sharpen your mind and body to physical perfection and embark on a twelve year journey of learning."

Shaking his head, Keitaro realized that Kintaro was leaning even closer. "How long?" he managed tremulously.

Time seemed to stretch, dragging on impossibly slowly, and Kintaro's lips moved with the speed of complacent glaciers. Keitaro's mind raced to sort the deep rumble of sound into words, as the answer came again: "Tweeeeeeeelllve yeeeeeeeeeaaars."

The man, much like Keitaro's goal of reaching Todai, began to recede before him, shrinking and moving further away, though the intensity of his gaze hadn't faded one whit. It was only when the nearly numbed reverberations through his head jarred his glasses off that Keitaro realized he had fallen backwards.

"That's ... an awfully long time," he gasped out, as time resumed its normal course and Kintaro settled back to the floor opposite him. Keitaro straightened his glasses out and sat up, peering at Ranma hopefully.

"Aw, don't be like that," Ranma encouraged, still grinning. "It only took me five years."

Keitaro blinked, wondering why he was staring at the ceiling of his room. The one without the hole leading to Naru's room, he absently observed, frowning. "Is that all?" he heard his voice ask.

"Then again, Otouto, you're not in Todai, yet."

As Keitaro sat upright again, Ranma chuckled, ducking his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, I know," he said. "But I have a good feeling. I think I can make it."

"A positive spirit is the most important part of studying," Kintaro acquiesced. "With will and determination, you can go far."

"So we can rule out the twelve years of study?" Keitaro asked hopefully.

"It's a possibility, I suppose," Kintaro mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "But not the bicycle."

"I see," Keitaro said slowly, as there was a knock at his door. "Come in!"

Naru slid the door open, waving, and Mutsumi followed, closing the door behind her. "It's getting colder!" Naru observed, shivering slightly. "I'm glad we finished the play before it got worse!"

"Oh?" Mutsumi asked, cocking her head to one side. "I live for the winters - it's almost always warm in Okinawa."

Ranma and Kintaro nodded knowingly at that, and Kintaro rose from the table, gesturing the girls to be seated. "I don't want to interfere with your studying," he explained.

"Oh, it's not interfering," Naru assured him, glancing at Keitaro. "Only, we were wondering..." She trailed off, biting her lip, and couldn't meet Kintaro's eyes.

"Yes?" he prompted, not yet moving to the doorway.

"Oh, well, Keitaro-kun sometimes needs help with his studying, because he isn't very intelligent," Mutsumi volunteered.

Naru crossed her arms beneath her chest and nodded knowingly.

Keitaro winced, noting Ranma doing the same. "I'm not dumb," Keitaro defended himself.

Touching a fingertip to her lower lip, Mutsumi mused, "And Ranma-kun learns bad habits very easily."

Naru nodded again.

"How was I to know that Suzuki's trick couldn't be universally applied?" Ranma grumbled, flinching.

"And I sometimes forget important things, like ... well, I forget," Mutsumi sighed.

Naru nodded a third time, and then said, "Of course, as for myself and my own studying-"

"And Narusegawa got a score of zero on one of her practice tests, too," Mutsumi said, clasping her hands before her and offering a sympathetic smile.

"That's exactly right," Naru affirmed, nodding a fourth time. Keitaro and Ranma stared at her blankly for a moment before comprehension flashed across her face, and she gasped out, "Mutsumi-chan! How did you know about that?"

Tamago offered a helpful chirp, floating out from behind Mutsumi and waving a test paper.

Before Naru could intercept it, Keitaro snatched the sheet away, unable to believe it. "A zero!" he exclaimed. "That's amazing - a perfect zero!"

"Ack!" The light-haired girl reflexively grabbed the paper away from Keitaro and turned her back to him, hunching in on herself. "You don't need to be so mean about it," she said, her voice hurt.

Keitaro managed not to nod. Partially, because Naru was looking away, and would miss the gesture, and partially because if his world were shifted any more, he was afraid he would fall completely out of it. Ranma only offered Narusegawa a sympathetic glance, suggesting that - somehow - Keitaro had managed to imagine that they were in a relationship on his own, and they were actually separate. He couldn't imagine Ranma being interested in Naru, and ignoring her when she was hurt. Rather, Ranma would act like Kintaro was and take her hand, giving her words of encouragement.

Keitaro managed a gurgling noise before his vision went black.

When Keitaro returned to his senses, Kintaro had gone, and the other three would-be students were studiously working, Ranma and Mutsumi as cheerfully as ever, and Naru with a small smile playing about her lips.

"Um ... did I miss anything?" he asked, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Not much," Mutsumi assured him, smiling.

"Oe-san just told us that anything is possible with patience and a positive attitude!" Naru said, glancing at him as her smile deepened for the merest moment.

"Which Oe-san?" Keitaro asked, rubbing at his forehead.

"Aniki," Ranma clarified. "You can call me Ranma, Kanrinin."

"Ah ... you can call me Keitaro then, Ranma-san," Keitaro replied hesitantly.

"No problem, Keitaro." He frowned then and glanced at his answer sheet. "Actually, maybe one ... have you looked at the question set for page twelve of the advanced math booklet? I'm actually getting two and a half for the final answer, and I want to make sure it's really right, this time."

XXX

Ranma tucked his hands into his pockets, walking slowly next to Kintaro. He kicked at a small pile of leaves that had gathered at the top of the stairs before taking a few steps down, Kintaro pacing him. The pair stopped there, in a good position to see both across the courtyard and over the stairs, should anyone approach.

"It's good to see you're doing well, Otouto," Kintaro finally said, looking at the city stretching out beneath the staircase.

"Thanks for dropping by ... and sending my things over, too," Ranma said quietly, studying his shoes intently. "I ... think I can get things to work out."

"I have faith in you," Kintaro said, turning to look at Ranma directly. "I know you can do it."

"Aniki ... have you seen Tsuruko-sensei recently?" Ranma pressed, shooting the older man a sidelong glance.

Kintaro blinked in surprise, then looked away and scratched the back of his head. "I don't think I've really seen her since we spent that time learning with her," he said slowly. "I usually don't stay in one place very long, you know." He grinned and offered Ranma a shrug. "Too many things I still want to learn."

Ranma nodded silently, looking at his feet again.

"You've seen her though, haven't you, Otouto?"

"Yeah," Ranma mumbled. "And Happosai at around the same time. It was ... confusing."

"What happened?"

"Well ... the only part that's really important is that Tsuruko-sensei asked me to train her younger sister ... and I'm teaching her martial arts, but I'm not sure how much of your school Tsuruko-sensei wants me to teach Motoko-chan..." He coughed quietly, and shuffled his feet. "And how much you want to let me teach."

Kintaro laughed aloud, clapping Ranma on the shoulder and grinning. "Otouto, it's not a collection of secret techniques," he said gently. "It's a way of learning ... and if I get it _right_, it's going to be the _best_ way." He shrugged, dropping the hand from Ranma's shoulder and looking up at the sky. "And, anyway, our school doesn't really have any martial arts, it's just ... a way of using the martial arts you already knew."

"About ... that, Aniki," Ranma managed, a note of strain entering his voice. "I ... found something. But I'm not really sure what it is, or ... how it even works."

"Found something?"

"It's more than martial arts ... or maybe less." Ranma sighed and hung his head. "It's so confusing. I don't know what it is."

"Did you take notes?"

"Just like you taught me, Aniki," Ranma confirmed, pulling his notebook from his belt and offering it to the older man.

Kintaro flipped through it quickly, eyes scanning the pages. "'The top of the head should not rest at a ninety degree angle to the axis of the body,'" he read aloud, smirking. "That's a good one."

"Not that, Aniki," Ranma said, some of the tension escaping his voice.

Kintaro made a thoughtful noise and then flipped through a few more pages. "Do you think ... it's connected to her, somehow?" he asked.

"It has to be," Ranma replied, frustration creeping back in, as he clenched his fists. "And I don't ... really even know what it is."

"I have an inkling," Kintaro said slowly. "Otouto... I think that this is part of your path. There's two parts to learning, you know. We're not machines, and we can't take everything as pure logic. We have to let ourselves be influenced by other things, or else we're not experiencing everything there is out there to be experienced ... and that means something we're not learning about."

Ranma said nothing, continuing to stare at his feet.

"Ranma..." Kintaro shook his head and sighed, raising his arms in a stretch. "You know, most of what I do I learned from ... well, you know, now."

"Him?" Ranma asked in surprise.

"Yeah ... but I said there was a better way to go about things, and I'm still working on perfecting it," Kintaro said quickly.

"Well, what is it?"

"That's my path, Otouto," Kintaro said gently, lowering his arms and turning to face Ranma again. "Your path is something else."

"Have you ever had... Have you ever felt... Did anything like my notes ever happen to you?" Ranma pressed, turning to face his older brother.

"A few times," Kintaro admitted, looking away. "I remember... Riding my bicycle, racing against ... well, I'll tell you how I met Tsuruko-chan later. But ... I can't explain it yet, either." He sighed. "Once we get that, we'll have really perfected the school."

"What then?" Ranma asked, regarding his brother curiously.

"Well, then we're done learning about living, and ready to start _really_ doing it!" Kintaro encouraged, grinning and slapping Ranma on the back again. "The road's calling me, Otouto. I'll check in at my place every so often - write me, okay? I'll send you postcards while I'm out."

"Okay, Aniki. Take care."

"You too," Kintaro called back, smiling, then walking to the bicycle in the courtyard. Ranma sighed, not looking back at his brother, and walked down the stairs.

When Ranma vanished at the foot of the stairs, Kintaro pulled up his bicycle at the top of the steps and opened his own notebook. "Learned something," he said, writing quickly. "'You can probably never know everything about someone you teach, even if you think you do.'" He snapped the book shut, then frowned. "I should probably copy the one about toothbrushes and laughter later."

Motoko very nearly fell out of the tree she had been sitting in, trying to practice her balance as Ranma had suggested. Shivering, she wondered if Kintaro's note was an observation about her, or Ranma, and more importantly ... what was it that Ranma was trying to understand, and who was it connected to? 'Her?'

XXX

Naru glanced around to make sure that no one was looking, then knocked on the door before her.

"Come in," Mitsune answered from within, somewhat distractedly.

Opening the door and taking another careful glance around, Naru stepped into the room, quickly closing the door behind her. Mitsune was stretched out on her bed in her normal attire for the weather - long pants, and a sweater. She didn't look up at Naru, instead flipping through a magazine with a steadily increasing frown.

"So, Mitsune, I wanted to ask you-"

"Says here that Oe's loaded," Mitsune noted, snapping the magazine shut and raising her eyes to meet Naru's.

"What?"

Mitsune sat up, and motioned Naru to take a seat.

After Naru had found a cushion, Mitsune showed the magazine to her. On the cover, in a very revealing red outfit, a long-haired blonde posed, looking somewhat distracted. The text beneath her face read, 'Female Power! Inside: Exclusive Interview With T.N. Software Founder.'

"I don't understand," Naru said, frowning and raising her eyes to meet Mitsune's.

Mitsune shook her head and flipped the magazine open, reading aloud from an article. "'When asked during the interview how she had managed her all-female staff, leading them to develop a new database software which secured a contract overseas with an American client, which in turn caused the company's net worth to more than triple overnight, the only response given was, "I couldn't have done it without Oe." Further comment was refused on who this mysterious "Oe" is, but our inside sources suggest that not only is Oe the only male member of the team, he may have been "more" than a partner to a woman owning a company worth millions of dollars in America, and billions of yen here in Japan.'"

"Oe?" Naru asked, frowning. "Well ... I don't understand what makes you think that he's rich just because of that."

"He'd have to be!" Mitsune protested. "You can't secure a multi-billion yen contract and ignore it unless you've got some obscene amount of wealth stowed away! Aside from which, Kintaro mentioned earlier that he knew about computers, and had once written a database program."

"It could be a coincidence," Naru countered, crossing her arms over her chest. "Really, Kitsune. How do you know it's the same Oe?"

"Really." Mitsune snorted, crossing her own arms over her chest after dropping the magazine. "I don't believe in coincidences like this anymore. Ranma and Keitaro collectively seem to destroy all coincidences."

"I suppose," Naru conceded, shaking her head. "But that's not what I wanted to ask you about, Kitsune."

"You want to talk to me about Keitaro?" Mitsune asked, uncrossing her arms and laying across the bed. "More trouble between you two?"

"Eh? You say it like we're having a lovers' quarrel!"

"Just a coincidence, I'm sure," Mitsune retorted dryly. "But, Naru, before you talk about Keitaro, you want to listen to something from me?"

"Well..." Naru bit her lip, holding back the reply that she just had listened to something from Mitsune, and instead nodded.

"You know, Naru-chan," Mitsune said softly, looking away. "This isn't just about the fact that Ranma and his brother may be rich. Because, even though they may have money, neither of them looks like the kind of guy who would really want to live a lifestyle immersed in riches and luxury, like any sane person would." She sighed, rubbing at her eyes. "I made a snap judgement, though. I went on a date with Ranma, and then I told him that I couldn't go out with him because his curse made me uncomfortable."

Naru's questions on how to approach Keitaro evaporated like mist at dawn in the face of such a remark. It was almost alien for the subject of romance to arise and not center around either herself or Keitaro. "I see," she said quietly, looking at her friend with sympathetic eyes. "And you're having an awkward breakup?"

"No!" Mitsune shook her head quickly, slumping. "I mean ... that's not it, Naru-chan. I... I'm having regrets about breaking up with him."

"Oh! Well, if that's all, maybe you can-" She choked on her own words right then, eyes widening. But if Mitsune pursued Ranma, then Mutsumi would probably ignore him, and that meant that she might pursue Keitaro, which in turn meant... "Oh," she said again, much more quietly.

"Yeah," Mitsune sighed. "But you didn't know when you asked for that favor ... and I didn't really think about it when I answered." She rubbed her forehead anxiously. "Anyway. That's what's been bothering me, Naru-chan. That I might have had something good, and thrown it away too soon."

Naru closed her eyes, thinking. What could she do? Risk putting her relationship in jeopardy just to give Mitsune a chance to patch things up with Ranma? Then again, what kind of relationship did she really have with Keitaro, anyway? Neither of them really managed to talk about it, and they'd had a grand total of two dates, one that was embarrassing, and one that had been something of a failure. Was she so selfish that she couldn't help out her friend when she was in pain?

Aside from which, she decided, if there was to be anything between her and Keitaro it should be easily decided by her making a move. Throwing Mutsumi at Ranma was only an excuse to buy herself more time, since she was too frightened to make a move. If she were to encourage Mitsune to pursue him, and then just ... talk to Keitaro and at least admit her feelings, then everyone would be happy!

A nagging thought in the back of her head warned her that it wasn't entirely true, but she ignored it. She still had to help her friend. "Mitsune, I think you should try and make up with him, then," she said softly, offering an encouraging smile.

Mitsune seemed to relax as the tension visibly drained out of her. "Really?" she asked, looking up at Naru.

"Yes," she said, nodding. "You shouldn't have to set your happiness by the wayside to try and help me out."

"Thank you, Naru-chan," Mitsune breathed, grinning. "I feel much better now." She eyed the fallen magazine, and her smile deepened. "And the possibility of marrying into money couldn't hurt."

Naru rolled her eyes and offered a good natured, "Just keep positive, Kitsune-chan! What could possibly go wrong?"

The door slammed open at that instant, and Motoko stood there, tensed, breathing heavily, and with a haunted look about her eyes. "Kitsune-san!" she cried out, striding into the room and falling to her knees before the woman. "I find myself in urgent need of your advice!"

Mitsune sighed and shot Naru a warning glance, before turning to Motoko. "What's bothering you?" she asked.

"I believe that Oe-sensei..." Motoko caught herself, and took a deep breath. "It took me some time, and much meditation to reach this conclusion, but I believe it to be the case that ... Oe-sensei is in love with me."

Mitsune's jaw hung open for an instant, her eyes widening in alarm. A crash from the hallway, followed by a muffled groan interrupted the silence.

"Um ... you left the door open," Naru noted.

"So she did," Ranma grumbled, climbing to his feet, and stepping inside. "So, what brought about this conclusion, Motoko-chan?"

The kendoka's eyes had widened in alarm at the crash, and each word from Ranma caused her to flinch, shrinking a little more into herself, until she looked like she was about to try crawling underneath Mitsune's bed to hide. "Oe-sensei," she mumbled, her head bowed. "I ... I'm sorry, but my affections belong to ... another."

Ranma blinked at that, then scratched his head. "Um ... okay," he mumbled. Clearing his throat, he spoke up, explaining, "Motoko-chan, you're a student of mine, so-"

"It's improper!" Motoko snapped, straightening up and raising her head. "It's shameful, that's what it is! A grown man lusting after a young student!"

Ranma blinked, not bowing his head at the rebuke. "Er ... well, yeah, I can see why you would think that, but-"

"Probably even now you're planning some trip under the pretenses of training, where you'll drag me off alone!" Motoko leapt to her feet, one hand going to the sheathed blade at her side, and advanced on Ranma, who took a nervous step backwards.

"Um, Motoko-chan..."

"But you won't stop there!" Motoko accused, taking another step forward. "Then, when we're alone, under the guise of something more innocent, you'll ravish me! You'll find some excuse to get us into the same blanket, without clothes, and then you'll lay a hand on me, first running a rough hand in a gentle caress across my smooth-"

"Motoko-chan!" Ranma protested, his retreat halted by the railing outside of the hallway. Realizing he was pinned, he waved both hands before him defensively.

"And when you've had your way with me, and gotten me with child, you'll bring me back here, and I, with child, will have no choice but to marry you!" Motoko's hand tightened on her sword and Ranma raised his hands over his head, as Motoko had advanced nearly right into them, then pressed closer, her face slightly flushed and her breathing irregular.

"I, um, that is-"

"Our daughter would be raised and educated in my family's school, as is proper." Motoko's right hand hadn't budged from her sword, though her left had come up to tap her lower lip thoughtfully, while Ranma broke out in a nervous sweat.

"Hello? Motoko-chan, I-"

"Ah! Of course, you wouldn't stop with just one child, no! You would continue to take advantage of me night after night, until we had dozens of daughters..." Motoko trailed off, her eyes seeming to look less at Ranma, and more through him, to some distant, nearly invisible thing. She shook her head suddenly, her face still flushed, and pursed her lips as though to kiss Ranma for a moment, then spoke, "But I won't give in that easily! I can only surrender myself to someone who can best me in combat!"

"Well, he already has," Haruka noted, taking a cigarette from her pocket and placing it at her lips. "Repeatedly, as I recall."

Motoko, realizing what she had been rambling on about suddenly blushed very darkly and stepped away from Ranma, bowing her head.

Naru shook her head, wondering when Haruka had come across the scene - she'd been so caught up in Motoko's tirade that she had missed the woman's arrival.

"This is all very interesting now, isn't it?" Haruka asked, turning to peer at Ranma, who had frozen when Motoko retreated. "Oe?"

Snapping out of his sudden stupor, Ranma shook his head and cleared his throat pointedly, closing his eyes while he muffled a cough with one fist. Not looking up to see Motoko, who was blushing furiously, he explained, "As I was saying, Motoko-chan, I am your teacher, and you are my student. It wouldn't be proper for me to have such feelings for you." He nodded at that, then opened his eyes. "Hopefully that clears that up."

Motoko blushed silently, staring at her feet.

Ranma glanced sidelong at Haruka. "Um ... thanks. What brought you by, anyway?"

"I'm a firm advocate of romance as a spectator sport," Haruka replied dryly, offering Ranma a sardonic smile. "Also, some mail." She pulled a trio of envelopes from a pocket. "Letter for you, Mitsune, and a letter for you, Motoko." She glanced at the last envelope, after handing the other two out, and pocketed it. "And now I just need to find Suu."

As if summoned, the excitable girl bounced down the hallway, taking a moment to run in a circle around Ranma and inspect him before drawing to a halt before Haruka. The older woman raised an eyebrow and withdrew the envelope from her pocket again. "Here you go," she told the girl.

"Aniki!" Suu cheered, holding the letter aloft and zipping back the way she had come, inspecting Motoko on the return trip, then vanishing.

"Right," Ranma said, shaking his head. "I'm going to study some more."

"Good plan," Naru seconded.

XXX

During a break from studying, Naru sat atop the roof, leaning against the peak. Keitaro, Shinobu, and Suu were nearby, admiring the view of the city. It had rained much of the day, so once the clouds had gone away, the air was clean and smelled fresh, presenting a clear view to the beach and beyond. "It's nice," Naru finally said, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

Suu lounged across the peak of the roof like a sunning cat, already wearing her winter school uniform. To Naru's left, hands on the roof between her knees as she knelt, Shinobu nodded, her eyes distant, though she seemed to steal glances at something nearer than the horizon every so often. Naru wasn't certain what it was, but was too relaxed to ask or investigate.

Keitaro sat further down the slope of the roof, one leg drawn up, and the other laying flat against the roof with both hands splayed at his sides to stabilize his position. He yawned slightly, then glanced to the side, into the yard where Ranma toiled with Motoko, picking up the last wooden remnants of the benches in the auditorium.

Most of the auditorium had collapsed in the rain, save the wall that had been defined by the roots of one of the great trees. The floors and walls had otherwise been turned into mud, and pooled at the bottom. While Motoko carefully stacked the wooden benches on one of the few undamaged sections of the lawn, Ranma shoveled drier dirt into the pit. Every so often the redhead would investigate the mess at the bottom to ensure that it wasn't too watery.

She worked swiftly, and once Motoko had finished moving the benches, she joined in, too. It seemed to only take them a handful of minutes to turn the entire auditorium into a mostly smooth muddy patch, which was then carefully cordoned off with wooden benches. That done, they scattered grass seed across the surface of the field, though Keitaro doubted it would grow much - if at all - before the season turned again.

Naru took her eyes away from the scene and shook her head. "Even when he's not studying he doesn't seem to relax," she murmured. "I wonder why that is."

"I think it's because he's running from something in his past," Mutsumi opined, climbing up through one of the secret-hatches in the roof.

Naru startled at that, then shook her head, smiling softly. "Hello, Mutsumi-chan," she greeted. "Feeling better?"

"A short nap was just the thing," Mutsumi affirmed, climbing onto the roof with the rest of them. "It's a beautiful day today, isn't it?"

Suu straightened up slightly and looked over the edge of the roof to where Motoko and Ranma were still talking, their voices audible, though the words were lost at such a range. "What can you tell me about a Ranma's past?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, I don't know," the dark-haired girl said slowly. "I think it must be a secret. Do you suppose we could ask Tama-chan?"

"My arch-nemesis," Suu murmured thoughtfully, glancing around for some sign of the creature. It was currently nestled atop Keitaro's head, eyeing her suspiciously. "But for information on a Ranma ... it might be worth it. Tell me, Tamago! Do you know a Ranma's secrets?"

Tamago blinked a few times, then shook its head furiously, while Keitaro tried to look at it, perched as it was atop his own head.

"Oh, it was worth checking," Mutsumi said, smiling softly. "We could always just ask Ranma-kun, couldn't we?"

"Simple communication could probably solve a lot of problems," Keitaro said quietly. He yawned, stretching his arms wide before he climbed to his feet. "I'm going inside," he finally said. "It's a bit chilly."

Naru nodded absently, wondering if she should follow and try and confess to him; she knew that she really had to, now. She'd certainly been putting it off long enough, anyway.

Below, Ranma and Motoko drew close enough to the side of the house that their voices carried, pushed by a gentle breeze. Keitaro missed it, and vanished into the passageway Mutsumi had emerged from, but Shinobu looked up as Motoko slowly said, "I'm sorry ... about my mistake."

"Eh ... don't worry about it," Ranma assured her. "I respect you, Motoko. I know we didn't get along really well at first, and I know you're a student ... but I kind of like to think of you as a friend."

Motoko giggled, a decidedly foreign sound from the kendoka, and surprisingly ... girlish, to Naru's ears. "Thank you, Oe-sensei. I am glad that ... we have come to understand one another, then. Our initial meeting was less than pleasant."

"You can say that again," Ranma mumbled. "Oh, heya, Kitsune. What's up?"

Naru blinked, and Shinobu actually turned her head to hear better, frowning slightly. Suu lolled absently, appearing as oblivious as Mutsumi, and Naru wondered if she should make a sound to remind Ranma and Motoko that they were on the roof. "Not much," Mitsune's voice called, slightly strained. "Um ... Oe ... do you have a minute?"

"Sure," she said. "I think Motoko-chan wants to use the baths first, anyway."

"Actually, I do. If you will excuse me, Oe-sensei." Naru strained to listen, and saw Shinobu flinch slightly at the sound of the door closing.

"Um ... Oe ... do you remember ... a while ago, when we went on a date?" Shinobu raised one hand to her mouth, eyes widening even further, while Naru frowned. All she could clearly remember of the event was her misery at thinking Keitaro was gay, and then elation over the fact that he wasn't. What specifically had happened between Mitsune and Ranma, then, to break them up?

"I remember," Ranma said slowly. "Why?"

"I may have ... spoken too soon," Mitsune said hesitantly. "I was ... surprised, really. I didn't think you were going to kiss me, I mean."

Ranma said nothing in reply, and Shinobu swallowed nervously in the silence.

Finally, Mitsune spoke again, her voice indistinct and both Naru and Shinobu leaned towards the edge of the roof to hear better. "I'm not sure I meant what I said, Oe ... I may have been hasty ... and I'm wondering if you ... might ... want to ... try again?"

"Try..." Ranma sighed, loudly enough to be heard from the roof. "I don't know. The curse is a part of me, you know. This form ... is something I'm pretty much stuck with. I checked around a bit. Well, a lot, really.

"One of the things ... that made me go on the road was the fact that I couldn't be accepted by..." She trailed off for a moment, the thickness in her voice audible even from there. "I couldn't be accepted with the curse by people I thought were important. Because of that, I decided that the only people who can really understand me are the ones that can see through the curse ... like Aniki. If you pay attention, he goes crazy around girls usually ... but for some reason he never looked at my cursed form twice. I wouldn't want to make you have to deal with something you didn't want to like that, Kitsune-chan."

"Why?" Mitsune finally asked.

"I dunno," Ranma said. "A lot of reasons, really. I mean, for all I know, some day I could get stuck as a girl ... it's happened to me before. But maybe some time I could get stuck and not find a way to get unstuck for a long time. And even though I'd always be ... a girl on the outside from then on ... I'm a guy, Kitsune-chan. I couldn't change that, even if I looked like a girl on the outside forever."

"I understand," Mitsune said tiredly. "I ... do."

"I ... don't think it'd work. You ... didn't like it when I kissed you as a girl, and I couldn't ... couldn't let you go along with something that you weren't comfortable with. If I got stuck ... then you would be miserable, and so would I. I'm sorry, Kitsune. I really am."

Shinobu looked like she was on the verge of tears, listening in. Naru felt more than a little guilty herself, but said nothing, wondering how Mitsune would react to that statement ... and more over the fact that she could understand what Ranma meant. Even if on the surface it was perverted ... Ranma wasn't about to let Mitsune start something she might not be happy with.

Mitsune's voice was filled with sorrow when she spoke next. "You're right, Ranma. If you ... were just a guy, I think you'd be one of the best guys ever. But... You shouldn't apologize. I ... I'm sorry." Shinobu sniffled quietly, tears trickling down her cheeks as she covered her mouth with her hands to muffle her sobs. The quiet sound of the door opening and then closing sounded again.

"Damn it," Ranma muttered. She sighed, and then opened the door again, while Shinobu's sniffling increased in volume.

"That's so sad," the girl finally sobbed. "Poor Kitsune-san..."

"My," Mutsumi murmured softly. "Poor Ranma-kun."

Suu glanced between Mutsumi and Shinobu speculatively, then turned to Naru, and tugged at her sleeve insistently. "Naru, Naru, what was that about?" the girl asked.

Naru shook her head, wondering at how distanced she felt from what she had overheard; Mitsune was her friend, and that had to have hurt... Even if it was better than the truth coming to light only after something tragic had happened. "I'm not really sure," she finally managed. "I guess ... it was just ... that Ranma and Kitsune are too different."

"Ranmas are different from Kitsunes," Suu asserted, nodding sadly. Naru looked at her sharply, but the typical grin was gone from the silver-haired girl, and her green eyes were somber. "They are different from many things, here..."

"How do you mean?" Mutsumi asked thoughtfully, handing Shinobu a handkerchief and patting the girl on the back comfortingly.

Suu's eyes narrowed speculatively and she looked upwards, as though the answer were written there in the evening sky. "Maybe trauma," she finally said. "It's hard to say. I could find out... But a good scientist won't destroy her specimens while trying to understand them, so I might not know for a long time." She blinked, the solemn cast vanishing from her gaze as she did so. "Until then, I think I'll sleep in a bed with a Ranma. It's nice and warm."

She scampered off while Shinobu shook her head, dabbing at her eyes with the handkerchief and sniffling. "It's sad," she said quietly. "I thought Kitsune-san would be..." She hesitated for an awkward moment, then turned about to look at Mutsumi and Naru. "I thought Kitsune-san would be better at ... love ... than anyone else. She always ... seemed to know more about it. But she ... didn't really understand Oe-san."

"Or maybe she did, and tried anyway," Mutsumi suggested. "Love isn't something to be good at, Shinobu-chan. It's just something you do." She offered an enigmatic smile then, shaking her head. "But, worry about that later."

"I ... suppose," Shinobu sighed, dropping her gaze. "I should make dinner," she finally said, rising to her feet and climbing into the passageway. Mutsumi nodded thoughtfully, and followed shortly behind, leaving Naru alone on the roof.

Would something like that happen between her and Keitaro? Fear gripped her heart, and she rocked backwards uncertainly, not sure what to do... But she had already decided. And waiting would only make it hurt worse if things _were_ to go bad, wouldn't it?

XXX

Keitaro sat at his desk, wondering if he were slowly becoming a fixture of his own room, much like the desk or futon. Perhaps an accessory for the desk. It seemed to him that he spent far too much time crouched behind the thing studying, or just going through the mountains of paperwork that developed when he didn't pay attention to managing the inn.

This time, he was not doing work or studying, however. Instead, he was staring at a blank piece of paper. He had a journal, though he did his best to keep it hidden; no telling when Suu or Mitsune might try to read through it. But calligraphy was one of those skills his parents had impressed into him as being important when he was young. He supposed he was decent at it, but too often he let those skills decline in the interest of study.

Shaking his head, he dipped the tip of his brush into the already prepared ink and began to carefully paint a character. Ideally, if he managed every stroke correctly, he would end up with something suitable to be added to a scroll. Perhaps he'd even replace one of the outdated scrolls that concealed the secret passages with his own carefully designed and brushed words of wisdom.

"Yeah, right," he muttered, shaking his head and eyeing the completed work thoughtfully. The strokes were smooth, though the ink was still wet. Not quite with the elegant structure he had hoped for, but still neat. "Always follow your heart," he quoted aloud. Frowning, he considered adding his name to the writing, but at the last moment decided instead to write down Seta's. It was, after all, the older man's advice to him.

He held the scroll up, absorbed in studying the letters as a slight chill wafted into his room, a soft breeze ruffling the extra papers at his desk. "But the question about it... Is it good advice?" he asked aloud, pressing the paper atop an already-hung scroll and considering the look of it carefully. Could he replace 'early to bed, early to rise' with 'always follow your heart'?

Grimacing, he shook his head, dropping the paper on the floor and sitting back to look up at the older words of wisdom. "Which one's more important for someone who wants to get into Todai?" he murmured. He cocked his head to one side, considering that.

"Well, I know my answer, anyway. My heart leads me to Todai." He nodded to himself, and decided that maybe the scroll would look good on the wall. As he reached up to take the older scroll down, he hesitated. "Then again..." His hand dropped to his side as he reconsidered. "Who am I to go against advice like that?"

"Keitaro?" someone asked quietly. He blinked, turning around in surprise. His shock was enough to keep his expression largely neutral, save for the slackened jaw. When had Naru gotten into his room? She knelt by the side of his desk, looking at the wall with determination.

"Narusegawa?" he returned cautiously. He was about to ask how long she had been waiting when he caught sight of her worried expression, eyes shining with emotion. "What ... what's wrong?"

"I... I didn't know you did calligraphy," she managed after a moment, lowering her gaze. That was it? Did she have something against calligraphy? Or maybe she thought that his words of wisdom were stupid in the face of what was already written there.

He stared at the paper in his hands, hanging so that Naru could read it as easily as he could, and shook his head ruefully. "It's... Seta gave me this advice once, but ... maybe this isn't good advice for someone who wants to get into college." He gripped the top of the sheet with both hands, ready to tear it in half.

"No!" Naru protested loudly, climbing to her feet and snatching it away from him. At his surprised look, she clarified, "It's good advice."

Was it? If it was, then maybe... Maybe he should say something? Naru looked like she were on the verge of saying something herself. "Narusegawa?" he asked quietly.

She looked up from the paper, eyes flashing in the dimming light, as the sun set. "Keitaro," she said in a quavering voice that did not quite match the determined expression she put on.

Nothing else was said for a long moment, and Keitaro wondered; was this rejection? Was this her finally becoming impatient with his lack of a confession? "Naru," he managed.

At the same time, she found her own voice, and said, "I really-"

They both broke off, looking at one another cautiously, nervously. What was she going to tell him? He finally knew he wanted to confess to her ... was it too late? "I have to say something," she asserted.

What if it was rejection? He couldn't let her speak first! Clenching his fists at his sides to steel himself, he took a deep breath. He had to speak, to say something. To ... be so driven by his fear he could confess nothing at all. "What is it?" he finally managed.

"Do ... you think you'll find ... that girl from your promise?" she asked slowly.

"I ... don't know," he replied hesitantly. "I think ... it may not matter as much as..." He trailed off there, unable to say what he was thinking. Could he just say that maybe, just maybe, that girl was not as important to him as she was? "I don't know anymore."

Naru stared at his calligraphy pointedly. "So you're not going to follow your heart to her?" she pressed.

Reeling, and trying to consider what he said, he announced, "My heart ... might not ... lead me to her anymore."

"Then..." Naru blushed and stared at her feet. "Do you like Mutsumi?"

Keitaro blinked at the subject change, and answered without thinking. "Mutsumi-chan? She's nice, and pretty, and smart, sometimes, and fun to be around-"

"I see," Naru said quietly, her color changing from embarrassment to anger. "So you do."

"What?" Keitaro asked, blinking and off-balance from everything that had already been said. "Well, she's all that, but-"

"I understand," Naru said coolly, turning on one heel and marching towards the door.

Reaching into reserves of control he didn't know he had, Keitaro managed to wrench the next words out before she could leave. "But she's not you."

He had done it. He had finally confessed. Even if it was in a roundabout way.

He had managed to tell her how he felt. If only this would turn out not to be a dream...

Swallowing, he watched her where she froze, and she shuddered slightly, hands rising to her face. With her back turned to him, he wasn't certain what she was doing, but after a moment she turned around, shimmering and unshed tears shining in her eyes ... but a small smile on her face. A smile that said she understood.

She said nothing, merely nodding faintly, turning to the door, and walking outside.

Keitaro stared at the door after it was closed, and sighed, glaring at his calligraphy. "Daydreams don't get me anywhere," he chastised it, deciding not to hang it up after all. But ... perhaps he would keep it anyway.

XXX

Naru felt like she was practically floating on her walk back towards her own room. Not because she was in love; she wouldn't give herself over to foolishness that easily! No, the lightness she felt was that relief of finally having a burden lifted from her shoulders. Finally, she knew.

She rounded the stairs and walked down the last stretch of hallway before her door, then paused. Haruka stood in the hallway, bent over a railing and eyeing some small detail of the woodwork critically. "Haruka?" she asked. "What's going on?"

"Just checking the work here," the woman said in reply, straightening up and revealing the hammer in her hands. "I got one of those flashes of intuition ... thought I'd need a hammer around here for something." She shrugged, sticking the handle of the tool through the waist-strap of her apron. "Guess I was wrong."

Naru blinked, looking at the hammer for a long minute. "Actually," she said slowly, "I think I could use it."

"What for?" Haruka asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. "The point of that play was to pay for damages, you know. I'm not opposed to directing another, but..."

Flushing, Naru shook her head quickly. "I was just going to use it to give a message to Keitaro," she assured Haruka.

The woman's other eyebrow rose. She looked between the hammer and the floor of the inn, as though she could see through the wood to where Keitaro was probably sitting. "Well, the inn doesn't fix itself, but it's not like he won't heal," she finally decided. "Sure. Just be sure to put it away when you're done, okay?"

"Not a problem!" Naru said, smiling as she accepted the hammer. It held a surprising amount of weight, and had good heft. She eyed it thoughtfully when she entered her room, sliding the door shut behind her. It would do.

The spot on the floor where she used to keep her Liddo-kun stuffed animal still held that honor, though now there was tatami beneath the wooden platform. Of course, that was because there was a fixed floor beneath that ... but that would only slow things down for a minute or so.

She slid Liddo-kun aside, and then shifted the tatami out of the way, as well. The slats used to replace the damaged wood stood out faintly, a slightly lighter color. It was the work of only a few minutes to begin recreating the hole that had been there once before.

XXX

In his own room, Keitaro looked up, frowning at the creaking and straining noises of the room overhead. Naru usually made almost no noise from her room, so he rose and stood beneath the center of the disturbance, squinting, and staring at the ceiling above him.

"That's funny," he murmured, just before the entire ceiling above him appeared to wobble. "Ack! Earthquake!" he managed to get out, before a hole was blasted out above him, showering him with bits of shattered wood, a hammer, and Naru's sprawling form.

The girl giggled in embarrassment, hiding the hammer behind her back. "Hey, Keitaro," she said softly.

Dazed, confused, and having just been used as her impromptu landing pad, Keitaro slowly smiled. "Hey ... Naru."  


* * *

Author's notes:

Getting back into the groove ... slowly but surely. 


	13. Seasons Greetings

The dining room of the inn was pleasantly crowded. Shinobu liked how everyone sat at the same table, putting whatever momentary differences they had to one side. Then they focused on enjoying the meal and the company.

Not that there were as many differences to put aside as there once were. Though the conversation had taken a stranger turn...

"Well, after the Department of Public Works in Hokkaido, we went towards Osaka and worked ... er ... at the dojo that Motoko's family owns," Ranma said thoughtfully.

"I can only imagine the damage you caused," Motoko said, hiding a smile by sipping her tea.

"I doubt you can," Ranma replied. He blinked, realizing what he'd said, and scowled. "Anyway, after that I worked in a warehouse, moving boxes around for a while, then Aniki and I were upholsterers in Kobe. Well, I was just an assistant, really, but I learned a bit."

"You must have traveled a lot," Shinobu remarked appreciatively. "How far have you gone?"

"Let's see," Ranma mused, rubbing his chin in thought. "I guess the farthest east I've been was ... Hokkaido. I've been as far south as the Ryu-Kyu islands, and as far west as the Gobi desert in China ... and I guess China would probably be the furthest I've gone north, too.

"That doesn't sound very far," Suu said, frowning.

"Well, where have you traveled?" Ranma challenged, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"That ... is a secret!" the girl chirped, smiling knowingly.

Keitaro frowned thoughtfully. "I'd always thought you'd have traveled all over the world, from the way you and your brother talked," he said. "Even Sarah's been to America."

Ranma's eyebrow twitched. "It's not like that!" he protested. "We explored all over Japan and learned lots of stuff. We didn't need to go to another country for anything!"

"So," Haruka drawled, stepping just through the entry from the hallway. "You're saying you've seen better locations nearby instead of wasting time by going further?"

Nodding emphatically, Ranma exclaimed, "Yes!"

"Funny," Mitsune commented. "I didn't take him for the type to put quality over length."  


* * *

Diamonds in the Rough - Chapter Twelve - Season's Greetings

Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine. That's all.  


* * *

Haruka's lips twitched in a smile, while everyone else stared blankly at Mitsune.

Finally, Shinobu said, "I don't get it, Kitsune-san."

"Er ... not important," Mitsune said, her face blushing crimson. "Anyway, on to more important things... It's getting close to that time, you know."

"What time?" Ranma asked, when everyone else nodded thoughtfully. "Oh, right," he said after a moment. "Can't believe I almost forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder, Kitsune. I have to go to take care of some things before work." With that, he cleared his dishes and bounded out the door.

Shinobu pushed his chair back to the table and shook her head. "He sure seems excited about Christmas. I wonder if he's going to get something for..." She trailed off, noticing everyone else in the room looking at her. "Um ... never mind," she finished, blushing fit to match Mitsune a few moments ago.

"Good point," Keitaro murmured. "I need to go and get a job, myself."

Mitsune turned to Motoko and asked, "Who do you think he's going to get something for?"

It was the kendoka's turn to blush, and she said, "It's not my place to speculate."

Naru shook her head in a chastising manner. "It's not good to pry into the affairs of others. You should just leave Oe-san his privacy."

"Yes, that's a good point," Haruka seconded, while Keitaro nodded his agreement. "And we certainly shouldn't question the way we found you two yesterday, Naru-chan."

Both Naru and Keitaro blushed darkly, and Shinobu fought against the urge to wobble dizzily. "It was just an accident," she said confidently. "Naru-san just dropped her hammer on the floor."

"Of course," Mitsune drawled, grinning at the blushing pair. "She just dropped the hammer. Sixteen times."

XXX

In the city, just a mile or so from the inn itself, Ranma stopped at a building near the machine shop where he worked.

"How could I have forgotten that I had to move out at the end of the month?" he mused to himself.

Shaking his head, he glanced at a brochure of apartments for rent. None of them offered deals as good as the Hinata-Sou, but such was life. He frowned thoughtfully. Maybe it would be better to just camp out in the woods while he studied...

His ruminations broke off when Tamago fluttered down onto his head. "Heya!" Ranma greeted the turtle, nearly crossing his eyes trying to peer at her. "What are you up to today?"

The turtle chirped softly and moved its flippers in a fair approximation of a shrug. Ranma snorted, and the turtle clung to his bandana to avoid being dislodged. "Alrighty. You just watch out for yourself, a machine shop is no place for a careless turtle."

He blinked when the turtle produced a tiny welding mask and sighed. Suu. It had to be her doing; for all of her claims of being a devoted enemy of the turtle, she was obviously helping it out. "Right," he said, clenching one hand in a fist before him in an effort to emulate Kintaro's stoic pose. "Time to learn something new."

XXX

Shinobu leaned over the railing in the front of the inn, frowning thoughtfully. Christmas. She knew she should get something for Keitaro ... but she wasn't certain what. To aid her in her quest, she'd compiled a list of the things she could get ... or do ... for him, and she eyed it dubiously.

Normally, she'd spend whatever free moments she had with Suu, or just admiring the view and relaxing, but today, she had something else to focus on. Namely, that list. Which consisted of:

Study guides, an umbrella, a warmer jacket, a scarf, and ... a kiss.

That last one had taken her some time to consider, and longer to write down, and she could feel her face begin to burn even knowing that she had managed to record it on paper. She knew it was a foolish idea, at least in her own mind; Naru was certainly making a claim on Keitaro, no matter how tenuously and painfully slowly she was going about it. Shinobu knew she had scant hope to do anything about it now. And a kiss was a desperate, foolish measure.

Or at least, it would be, but she couldn't possibly actually ever manage to summon the nerve necessary to just up and _kiss_ him. She felt herself growing faint at the thought - probably from all the blood rushing to her face. She shook her head, forcing herself to concentrate.

Desperate or not, it would show that her feelings were real enough for her to risk making a fool of herself. But ... would it make a difference at this point? Part of her hoped so, and wanted to somehow win his heart away from Naru. And part of her dreaded to try, thinking that Naru's claim could not be revoked by a kiss from her, a mere junior-high student.

She hung her head, sighing. Perhaps she was being immature about it. She knew that if she wasn't the one for Keitaro ... a small part of her wanted him to be happy with Naru anyway. And that small part seemed to haul a lot of weight with the others, despite it being just a small part. She rubbed her eyes and shook her head to banish the image of a tiny Shinobu in her head lecturing the larger and more selfish Shinobus that ran around in a disorderly gaggle.

That aside, and forgetting about him for the moment ... or at least, directly about him, anyway ... she realized that she wanted Naru to be happy too. Why should she want to interfere in what could be positive? Aside from which, another small part of her pointed out, if it failed, she would be there to pick up the pieces.

Raising her head, she blinked. Where had that come from? She frowned, and produced a pencil, crossing out 'a kiss' from the list until it was completely illegible. Foolish thoughts, she chastised herself. And a warmer jacket ... that should be from Naru. It was that kind of gift, after all. She would get him something sensible. Perhaps a scarf to replace the ones that were beginning to fall apart on him.

Yes, that would do it. Nodding in her resolve, she had enough time to blink before a shadow passed over her head, and the balcony she perched on shuddered. A trail of smoke led towards her, as though a smoky torch had been carried by an avid jogger up the stairs, who had been going fast enough when they reached the top to fly all the way to the center of the courtyard, and then leapt all the way to the balcony behind her.

When she turned around and looked, she saw a severely disheveled redhead, every exposed inch of her skin coated with soot, save circles around each eye. Tamago perched haggardly on one shoulder, looking practically identical. Shinobu blinked at the sight, seeing the large tears in Ranma's work clothes; thick T-shirt and jeans singed and ripped ragged. "Oe-san?" she asked tremulously.

Improbably, shining white teeth emerged from the soot-covered face, bared in a grin. "Heya, Shinobu-chan!" Ranma replied, rocking back on her heels slightly. "I, uh, totally meant to land like that. So, what are you up to?"

"Thinking about my Christmas shopping," she replied absently, repressing the jealous urge to sob at Ranma's endowments. Well, she was drinking her milk, at least. "What ... happened to you?"

"Christmas, eh?" Ranma mused. "Oh, this?" she gestured absently, a shower of soot drifting away from the arm and dusting atop the balcony. "I learned something new today."

"What's that?" Shinobu asked.

Ranma produced her notebook from behind her, and opened it, the outer edges of each page slightly singed. Using the layer of soot on her fingertip instead of the pen that was tucked inside the booklet, she wrote something down. As she wrote, she announced, "Turtles should not be allowed to handle acetylene torches." Snapping the booklet shut, she tucked it back into her belt, nodding judiciously.

Shinobu's eyes widened. "Tamago blew up your work?" she asked, horrified.

"Nah," Ranma said dismissively. "_This_ little critter," she rapped the turtle atop the shell, sending out another small shower of ash and soot, "did _that_ to my bike," she said, then pointing to the courtyard.

Eyes widening, Shinobu turned slowly. The trail of dust and smoke had thinned enough to allow her to see Ranma's bicycle, previously hidden in the center of the courtyard. She blinked and frowned. "There's a ... basket on the front?" she hazarded. "Is that all?"

Ranma snorted and shook her head. "Yeah, but I asked for a mesh weave pattern to the basket, not a simple wire cage." Shinobu looked back in time to see the turtle actually hang its head in shame.

"I see, Oe-san," she finally managed. "Um ... can I ask you a question?"

"Go right ahead," Ranma replied, eyes still fixed on the bike.

"How ... did you get burnt?" Shinobu finally managed.

Ranma blinked, seeming to only just realize that she was coated in a fine layer of ash and soot. "Oh, right," she said slowly. "Well, one of the guys was smoking, and another guy tried to throw him a piece of stock metal. Eh ... basically the stock metal hit him in the stomach and his cigarette landed right on the cord to my welding torch." She shrugged. "Thought for sure it wouldn't light, but it did, and the next thing I know - BOOM! - I got knocked silly."

Shinobu's eyes widened fractionally. "Are you okay? Should I call a doctor?" Normally she would call right away without asking, but this was, after all, Ranma. She seemed nearly as resilient to damage as Keitaro himself ... her initial meeting with Motoko aside.

"Just fine," Ranma assured her. "When my clothes caught on fire someone splashed me with cold water. They couldn't figure out where I went, and where some girl showed up from." She shrugged unconcernedly. "I told them I was a bystander and saw someone flying out towards the bay."

"You caught on fire?" Shinobu asked faintly, trying to imagine Ranma being flung backwards by a fiery explosion and then rebounding effortlessly.

"Not me, my clothes," Ranma assured her, halfway moving to pat her on the head, but remembering the soot at the last moment. "I'm pretty heat-resistant myself, so it's no worry, and Tamago here seems to be just fine."

"I see," she managed, still trying to puzzle out Ranma's survival.

"I think I'm going to wash up, though."

Shinobu nodded vacantly, now wondering why she had agreed to learn martial arts from someone who seemed to find nothing wrong with being blown up.

Ranma hesitated, then looked at the bicycle for a long moment. "Ah, the wire cage design works better anyway," she finally said. Tamago perked up slightly. "Sturdier." The turtle managed what looked like a smile at that. "Practical." Tamago nodded happily. "More masculine." The turtle's smile vanished, and it looked at Ranma questioningly. Ranma returned the turtle's gaze. "You need a bath too," she finally assessed, hopping over the balcony and then rebounding from the courtyard to the rooftop, vanishing from Shinobu's field of vision.

"Ooog," Shinobu managed, her train of thought hopelessly derailed. Eventually, her eye caught the slip of paper in her hands. Blinking at it for a moment, she decided to think of the less complex events of Ranma's day at work, instead of the sheet of paper.

XXX

Keitaro paced in the hallway, pondering asking Ranma for a favor. Actually, another favor, all things considered. He'd asked the inn's sole other male tenant for quite a few favors since he had moved in. Realizing that, he paused, reconsidering. As if summoned by Keitaro's thoughts, Ranma turned a corner, just coming into sight, looking freshly bathed, his hair still wet.

The martial artist raised a hand in greeting. "Yo, Keitaro. What's up?" he asked.

"Um ... nothing," Keitaro lied. It wouldn't really be fair to ask for another favor right now. Even if it was help around the inn while Keitaro tried to earn money from a part-time job ... it wouldn't be very fair. Ranma had his own problems to worry about, since he didn't have the benefit of Keitaro's failed three years of trying to get into Todai.

"You sure?" Ranma pressed, raising an eyebrow. "You've got that, 'I don't know the answer to this multiple choice question, so I'll leave it blank' look."

Keitaro blinked, trying to smooth his features. "I have a look like that?" he asked worriedly.

Ranma smirked at him. "Kind of. So what's on your mind, Keitaro?"

"Ah," Keitaro hedged, frowning and staring at his feet. "Well, I ... I've been meaning to ask you..." He swallowed nervously and realized that he couldn't tell the truth; he'd put Ranma through quite enough already, especially considering the cost of normal martial arts training and what Ranma offered for free. Searching, he quickly blurted out the most believable thing his mind could come up with: "...if you had a good idea of what I should get Naru for Christmas."

The martial artist's look turned from amused to confounded for a long minute. After a series of blinks, Ranma collected himself and pulled the book he habitually tucked into his waistband free. "Dating protocol..." he murmured, flipping through it. "Aniki gave me a couple of suggestions for this... Um ... for guys it suggests study guides, an umbrella, a handkerchief, a coat, a scarf, and a kiss, in that order." He frowned, blinking at that.

"Study guides?" Keitaro asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ranma shrugged. "Aniki studied a lot - what can I say? And it's not like either of us don't have a use for 'em."

Nodding, Keitaro admitted, "That's true. Wait. A kiss?"

"Eh, coulda been a typo," Ranma said, frowning. "Doesn't sound right. Anyway, for girls it says ... uh ... well, if she's a more down-to-earth girl, chocolates or candies, and if she's more romantic, flowers. Second date..." He scanned the page silently for a moment longer, before his eyes widened and his face reddened. Making a coughing noise, he looked away and said, "Ah, well, nevermind that." He flipped a few pages ahead quickly, then looked up to Keitaro curiously. "So, how long have you been dating?"

"Um..." Keitaro managed, his face coloring deeply. "Well ... I guess ... since October? But sometimes it seems longer. I don't really know."

Ranma nodded thoughtfully and scanned down the page he was looking at. "Well, Aniki says that the best gift you can give is something you come up with yourself, based on the girl," he said at length. "I guess ... really I can't answer that question." He snapped the book shut and stared at the ceiling thoughtfully for a long minute. "But, that kind of makes sense. You can't find every answer you look for easily, just like Tsuruko-sensei told me. I guess you have to figure this one out yourself."

"The one time I ask for help," Keitaro sighed.

"I kind of thought that was unfair myself." Ranma patted him on the back. "Well, it could be worse," he consoled.

"Yeah, I know," Keitaro admitted ruefully. "If I knew what I wanted, I'd be bombarded with useless or bad advice."

Ranma raised an eyebrow, then nodded thoughtfully and opened the book again, this time to a nearly blank page. Keitaro glimpsed something that mentioned turtles and welding torches, written in ash, and decided it was better not to look too closely. "Well, sorry I couldn't be more helpful," Ranma said apologetically, as he scribbled something down. "But, uh, while we're here, I have a question for you."

"What's that?" Keitaro asked. "Is this about page twelve of-"

"No, no," Ranma said hurriedly, looking faintly embarrassed. "Not about studying ... I just ... never really went through a ... Christmas ... in a place like this." He shifted his feet and looked away from Keitaro, not able to meet the manager's eyes. "Usually it was just another day on the road with Aniki, or before that... Well, it was pretty much always on the road, anyway. What are you supposed to do for it?"

Keitaro blinked and snickered quietly. For all of Ranma's studying and martial skill, and his years of wandering, his education appeared to have a few interesting gaps in it. "Um ... why don't you come to my room and I'll explain it?" he offered, as Motoko strode into sight, glancing at the pair before passing.

Ranma nodded, following silently.

When they were safely ensconced in Keitaro's room, each with a cup of tea, Keitaro began to explain. "December twenty-fourth is Christmas Eve," he started, staring at the calendar on his wall. "It's ... a day for couples, mostly. Couples meet, enjoy dates, and exchange gifts. The ... uh ... 'Santa Day' part is something they started kind of recently ... basically that's for kids, and everyone gives gifts to friends and family members."

"Gifts," Ranma mumbled thoughtfully. "So it's like a birthday for everyone?"

"Er ... and the romantic part, too," Keitaro reminded him. "That's really the more important part."

"So, kind of like New Years, then," he reasoned. "I know about those."

"Well, somewhat," Keitaro agreed. "So I guess that's really it."

"Ah," Ranma said, nodding. "And that's why you wanted to get something for Naru."

"Er ... yes," Keitaro admitted, glancing at the newly re-made hole between his room and Naru's.

Ranma's gaze followed Keitaro's and he frowned at the hole. "Well, what do you know," he grumbled. "I thought Taiso had his boys fix up the entire inn."

"Ah, it was ... left in by request," Keitaro said quickly, before Ranma could get it in his mind to repair the gap.

"Eh?" He seemed surprised, but dismissed it. "Well, anyway, can I ask you a more personal question, Kanrinin?"

"You can just call me Keitaro," he said, wondering at Ranma's sudden lapse into the more formal title. "But ... um, okay."

Ranma nodded at that, offering Keitaro a nervous smile. "Um ... who are you getting presents for this Christmas?"

"Oh," Keitaro said quietly, considering. "Um, well, everyone here, I guess. It's just ... Naru..." He shrugged at that, not quite able to find the words he wanted. "Well, anyway, I'm not sure what I'm going to get everyone yet."

Ranma nodded, relieved. "Okay, then. I won't tell anyone. But, thanks, Keitaro."

"No problem," Keitaro assured the martial artist, as Ranma rose. He grinned suddenly, looking up at his tenant. "If you ever need to know about stuff like that, or anything that involves romantic holidays, I know all about them."

"Probably because you constantly humiliate yourself whenever one comes up," Naru opined, sliding the wooden platform from over the hole in the ceiling.

Ranma and Keitaro jumped back, alarmed, and uttered a startled, "Ack!" in unison.

"Now, what's this you're thanking Keitaro for, Oe?" Naru asked. "If it's about romance, this lug always gets it wrong, just so you know."

"Nothing, nothing," Ranma assured her hurriedly, his face darkening with embarrassment as he scurried towards the door. "I don't need any advice on dating, or asking a girl out, or anything like that," he added, sliding the door open.

Shinobu blinked at him in surprise, carrying a tray laden with teacups. "I thought you would be studying," she explained, glancing between the two males, and Naru, who lowered herself through the hole in the ceiling. "Um... would you like some tea?"

"Studying!" Ranma exclaimed, his blush deepening. "Yes! That's it exactly! But, uh, I have to go, now, so, uh, thanks!" With that, he slipped past Shinobu and bounded out the window, vanishing quickly from sight.

Shinobu frowned at one of the teacups, which had somehow emptied itself while Ranma passed. "How does he do that?" she asked aloud.

"I kind of wonder myself," Naru said, taking the tray from Shinobu and setting it on the table. "But, as long as I'm here, we might as well get some more studying done, Keitaro. You can sure use the help."

"Me?" Keitaro protested indignantly. "Which of us got-" he cut himself off before he could finish the statement and shook his head. "Um. I have to do something in town. I'll be back later ... you can study with Mutsumi," he mumbled, trudging out of the room and not meeting Naru's eyes.

XXX

Shinobu frowned, glancing after Keitaro as he departed. It seemed as though he had done a lot of growing up over the last few months ... the rule against violence in the inn seemed to have - somehow - led to Keitaro learning to hold his tongue. While she felt Naru had a tendency to overreact, she could admit that Keitaro did sometimes say things he shouldn't...

Naru seemed to recognize both what Keitaro had been about to say, and the fact that he hadn't said it, for she just looked at his departing form with a combination of annoyance and fondness.

"Auuugh..." Shinobu whimpered. She really was losing her chance...

"Oh, my," a new voice mused quietly. "Where are Kei-kun and Ranma-kun?"

"Eh?" Shinobu noised, turning around and seeing Mutsumi standing in the open doorway.

"They'll be late for our studying session," Mutsumi added, shaking her head.

"They had something else to do," Naru sighed. "Let's study in my room until they get back."

XXX

Once they had reached her room, Naru settled into the comfortably numbing routine of study with Mutsumi, relieved only when one or the other paused to ask a question about one of the problems. In the back of her mind, Naru knew she was waiting for Keitaro, or perhaps even Ranma to come back to the inn and join the study group.

Despite her wishes, the light began to fade before either returned. Frowning thoughtfully, Naru said, "We should take a break."

Mutsumi nodded happily and stretched. After a second, she spied Naru's Liddo-kun doll, and said, "Ah, Liddo-kun again! I had one of those when I was young ... but I lost it." She looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned to look at Naru again. "You really liked Liddo-kun, too, didn't you?"

Naru raised an eyebrow and turned to regard the stuffed animal. Did she? She could only barely remember a handful of the episodes, and the theme song. And yet ... the creature had been with her as long as she could remember. It seemed to her that the stuffed animal was infinitely more important than any animated show. "I really like this one," she said slowly, picking up the creature and holding it in her lap. "It's been with me for a while."

"Oh?" Mutsumi frowned for a moment, as though trying to remember something, but quickly dismissed the thought and shook her head. "I think we could use a snack - I'll run back to my place to fetch a watermelon!"

Naru nodded as the other girl rose and ambled away on much steadier feet. Naru spared a thought for that: Ranma's training of all them had had some noticeable effects, but Mutsumi was the most obviously improved. She could easily walk about without fainting, now, though she was still prone to dizzy spells.

"Distracting myself," she murmured, running her fingers across the stuffed animal before her. "Where did I get you? A gift from a friend?" On a sudden worried impulse, she examined the name-label. It was, to her relief, blank.

"Silly," she mumbled, turning the animal over and shaking her head. Her breath froze in her throat when she beheld the writing on the bottom of the creature, concealed where it had sat for longer than she could recall. Scrawled in permanent pen, in a childish hand, was the name: 'Otohime Mutsumi.'

She didn't recover her senses until she heard footsteps in the hallway outside, and quickly turned the Liddo-kun doll right side up again. The footsteps passed her room and faded away. "How did I get this from Mutsumi?" she wondered aloud, stunned. "Maybe..."

Leaping to her feet, she seized the photo album that had last been opened when Keitaro rifled through it; perhaps in her childhood there was a clue? Her own mind held no recollection... A few quick flips brought her back in time from high school to middle school, and then earlier. In a handful of pages she was staring at her infancy, and the years immediately following it.

Her eyes widened further when she beheld a picture of her father standing next to her ... with the Hinata-Sou in the background. "I was here when I was young?" she asked, dumbstruck.

Swallowing, she looked to the next page, and her mouth fell open. For there, behind her smiling two-year old face, was a playground with two children in it ... and with them, a Liddo-kun doll. "Keitaro?" she asked herself, hearing the panicked strain in her own voice. "But that, that means ... Keitaro's promised girl is..."

Her shocked ruminations cut off abruptly as Mutsumi opened the door, offering a cheerful smile. "Hello!" she greeted.

"Gah," Naru managed in response. "Um ... er..."

Mutsumi offered Naru a watermelon slice as she sat at the table. "Is something wrong?"

Naru accepted the slice, quickly shoving the photo album out of sight beneath the table. "Um ... nothing!" she managed, forcing a smile and biting into the melon to hide her expression.

XXX

After Keitaro and Ranma had arrived, some furtive last-minute study had been completed, and finally disbanded late in the evening to the sound of numerous growling stomachs, Naru climbed onto the roof to think about things.

Mutsumi was Keitaro's promised girl? Could it be? The boy in the picture certainly looked like a young Keitaro to her ... and the creature bore Mutsumi's name on it. The possibilities were that the boy in the photograph was someone else ... or that the girl in the picture was an entirely different Otohime Mutsumi ... or that Mutsumi was the promise girl. But according to things Haruka had mentioned in passing long ago, Keitaro _had_ spent time from his childhood at Hinata-Sou.

And aside from that, as Mitsune had said, Keitaro seemed to destroy coincidence.

Experience showed her that more likely than not, it was as simple as that.

Mutsumi was the promise girl.

"Ugh," Naru moaned, collapsing back against the roof. How could this come to light now? Only after she had finally gotten up the nerve to confess to Keitaro!

Only, when she stopped to think about it, it wasn't much of a confession, really. She was probably reading too much into what he said; he meant he liked her as a friend, probably. And while she _did_ like Keitaro, she'd never _really_ admitted it to him.

Well, with things standing like that, it would be easy for her to move aside, or maybe even nudge Mutsumi and Keitaro together. Mutsumi admitted that she thought Keitaro was nice, hadn't she?

Except ... a part of her thought that, maybe, the best thing to do would be to run to Keitaro and really honestly tell him the truth; that she liked him, right then and there. But if she did that ... she would be coming between Keitaro and the girl of his promise. And she couldn't do that ... could she?

"Why me?" she groaned, rubbing at her eyes.

It was a difficult choice no matter how she looked at it. Claim Keitaro for her own, or give him to Mutsumi? If only ... there was some explanation on how she should deal with the situation. If only it would become clear, somehow.

A creak sounded behind her, along with a muted voice. "This doesn't appear to be the way to the bath, Tama-chan," Mutsumi murmured as Tamago drifted out of the secret passageway, waving to Naru. Mutsumi followed after, smiling at the other girl. "Oh, hello, Naru-chan!"

"Uh ... hello again, Mutsumi," Naru managed, forcing another smile. "How are you doing?"

"Fine!" she enthused. "And you?"

"Um," Naru began, considering. Should ... she tell the truth? Or should she maybe ... see if Mutsumi even remembered? "Mutsumi-chan, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did!" Mutsumi replied, smiling as she took a seat nearby. "Is something troubling you, Naru-chan? You can tell big-sister Mutsumi what's wrong!"

Naru winced at that. "Um ... well, you're trying very hard to get into Todai ... can I ask you why?"

"Certainly!" Mutsumi said, nodding. "I made a promise for my future with someone." She spoke in an almost dreamy manner, looking up at the sliver of the moon. "It was a childhood promise ... with someone who was very close."

The faint hope that Naru still harbored that, somehow, whoever had been in the picture with Mutsumi was not Keitaro began to fade; Keitaro _did_ actively destroy coincidence, and Mutsumi seemed to be working alongside him this time. Aside from that, Mutsumi's knowledge of the secret passages would be explained if she had been at Hinata-Sou as a child. Things were fitting together too neatly, now.

"And?" she prompted the older girl.

"Mmm," Mutsumi mused, frowning slightly. "I said that we should go to Todai together ... but it's been so long now, and I've failed to get in three times. I feel like I've already broken my promise." Though her expression didn't change, Naru thought she perceived disappointment in Mutsumi's features. "My friend has probably already gotten in by now."

"Well," Naru began hesitantly, "it's never too late. You can still get in and meet him, probably."

"Oh, no," Mutsumi said, still staring at the moon. "It's been so long ... I don't even remember what my friend's name was, or anything like that." She smiled sadly, shaking her head and closing her eyes. "We were very close ... and sometimes I daydream that we'll meet again, and I'll say, 'Yes, I made it into Todai.'" Her eyes opened, slightly moister, and she stared at the moon with longing. "I ... would like that."

"Oh," Naru managed, hoping the words didn't sound as strangled as they felt to her. "Keitaro... Do you like him?"

"Hmm?" Mutsumi asked, blinking, and turning to regard Naru curiously. "Do you mean ... because of what I said in the bath the other day?"

"Er ... yes," Naru hedged. "That's it."

"Oh, well, I only meant that I liked his type," Mutsumi offered, smiling. "I think he's meant to be with you, Naru-chan."

Naru flinched at the invisible dagger that seemed to have lodged itself in her chest. "Um..."

"You two get along so well, after all..."

An invisible hand grabbed the invisible dagger's hilt, and began to twist it.

"...it's like you were made for each other..."

A detached part of Naru's mind wondered at the lack of blood, for all of the pain she felt.

"...and I hope some day, I can find someone meant for me as much as you two were meant for each other!"

Naru clenched both hands to her chest, her breathing shallow as she fought back tears. "I... Mutsumi-chan, I know who your promised ... friend is," she gasped. Instantly, the pain lessened, fading to a distant memory. Bolstered by the sensation, Naru continued, "Keitaro made a promise just like yours, and..." She swallowed. "I have a picture of you and Keitaro together as children... You made ... the promise to him."

Mutsumi's eyes widened and one hand covered her mouth as she gasped in surprise. "Keitaro?" she asked wonderingly. "But-"

"No!" Naru exclaimed, shaking her head. "It's ... it's gotta be you and Keitaro, Mutsumi-chan. I ... still have your Liddo-kun doll." She swallowed, staring at her feet and balling her hands up into fists. "You ... can have it back, if ... you want."

Mutsumi said nothing, and Naru was keenly aware of the passing minutes, rolling by like ponderous stones grinding across her frayed nerves.

"I ... think it must be destiny, don't you?" Naru finally managed. "Bringing you together like this?"

Mutsumi blinked in surprise. "But, Naru-chan-"

"No, Keitaro and I weren't ... meant for each other, Mutsumi," Naru said quietly, looking away. "The one who is most like Keitaro ... is you, after all."

The other girl said nothing in reply, merely looking at Naru and considering.

"This must come as a real shock to you," Naru finally said, looking up at the moon.

"It... Naru-chan ... the one I made a promise to ... it couldn't have been Keitaro," Mutsumi said quietly, in a very soft voice.

Naru blinked, turning to look at Mutsumi in surprise. "What?"

"My friend ... was a girl, Naru-chan," Mutsumi assured her, smiling. "But I can't remember her name anymore!"

"But- But-" Naru sputtered indignantly for a moment. How could her emotional turmoil be so casually dismissed? After all of the internal agonizing over the right thing to do... "Are ... you sure you aren't Keitaro's promise girl?"

Mutsumi nodded swiftly, her eyes narrowed in a smile. "I'm certain of it, Naru-chan! I couldn't be the person to come between you and Kei-kun."

Naru felt like someone had stolen the wind from her. She found herself unable to think straight, or puzzle out the complexities of the situation. "But-"

"Don't be silly, Naru-chan," Mutsumi assured her. "Kei-kun ... likes you just as much as you like him, I think."

Naru felt herself blush, and managed a numb nod.

XXX

"Oe-sensei, can you answer a question for me?" Motoko asked, looking up at her teacher.

He nodded, looking upwards as though in contemplation of something deep and meaningful.

"You've explained to me why we need to train balance," she began.

He nodded again.

"And you've shown me why it's useful to be able to adapt to different styles of offense and defense."

Another nod.

"And you've given me no reason recently to question the value of our sparring matches or the other training exercises..."

He nodded a fourth time, studying her guardedly, as though he expected her to yell at him for something.

"But you've never even shown me this training, so I must question you. What is the benefit to hanging from the roof by one ankle?" the kendoka asked, staring at the point where Ranma's foot had snagged the inn's rain-gutter and the martial artist was dangling upside-down outside the walkway.

"Well," he temporized in a quiet voice, looking away from his student. He nodded to himself, as though he was going to explain something complex and mystic to his student. "By balancing this way, I can achieve whole new levels of meditation." He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. "I can use the perspective to consider things from a new direction, and solve problems in my head more swiftly."

"Really?" Motoko asked doubtfully. "I suppose that it also lets you eavesdrop on whoever is on the roof, doesn't it?"

"Well, actually, it's not too bad for that," he admitted. "But really, it's mostly because I'm stuck. If I move my foot, I think I'll knock a roof tile loose, and I'm trying to be quiet."

"So you can spy?" Motoko asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mostly not to embarrass the people I'm listening in on," he said flatly.

Motoko blinked, then cupped a hand to her ear, as though to listen. "I don't hear anyone at all," she said at length.

Ranma shrugged, and flipped over, landing in the hall. Behind him, a tile fell into the darkness, shattering loudly against the courtyard. He winced, shaking his head. "They're gone," he said. "I'm going to fix that tile, though."

"I see," Motoko said. "And what of what you heard?"

"None of my business," he assured her, frowning. "I'm not going to say."

Motoko eyed him thoughtfully for a moment as he moved down the hallway, then nodded. "Fair enough," she decided.

XXX

In the following days, Mitsune noticed both Keitaro and Ranma appeared at the inn less and less. She expected that the others hadn't noticed for two reasons. One of which was the fact that Naru and Mutsumi were still studying together, even if the others weren't in evidence. The other reason being, of course, that no one else was as nosy as her; everyone else's loss, she thought.

Regardless, they were both spending an awful lot of time during the day gone to attend something or another. Ranma had lost his job at the machine shop since they no longer had the equipment they needed to employ him. Keitaro didn't have a job (other than running the inn, of course) anyway, so Mitsune suspected that they were gone looking for work, or having done that, earning money.

Despite her thorough search of every restaurant that served alcohol in the district, she hadn't found either of them, which meant that they weren't working as waiters, or bartenders. Once her exhaustive investigation was completed, she dismissed the question of which jobs they had as being unimportant; the bigger question was what they were earning the money _for_.

Her suspicion on the subject was that they were trying to earn money to buy presents. Though, what was gotten was not as important as much as who it was gotten for. She expected that Keitaro would buy something for Naru, of course. And that didn't worry her much - though she wouldn't have complained if he got her something, too. She was more interested in who Ranma was getting something for. He had, after all, let it slip that he had something he needed to take care of when she had mentioned Christmas.

Logically, after her last discussion with him on the issue of their relationship ... such as it was ... it wouldn't be something for her. But, at the same time, she couldn't help but harbor a faint hope that she was still enough of a friend to him to warrant some small gift...

"Hmm," she mused aloud, turning her attention to the empty dining room table. Shinobu bustled in the kitchen, harried by Suu but still making progress on the meal. The silver-haired foreigner was working on a dish of her own, and in response, Shinobu had prepared a basket of bread to set on the table... Thoughtful, considering how spicy Suu's dishes usually were.

Would either of them know who was getting gifts for whom? "Say," she said, gathering at least Shinobu's attention. Suu was distracted at the moment by her own efforts, which Mitsune decided warranted avoidance in the future, given the ominous red glow. "Who do you think Oe is going to get presents for?"

"Eh?" Shinobu managed, completely surprised at the question. "I didn't even think about that." She frowned thoughtfully, not meeting Mitsune's eyes. "Who does Oe-san like, Kitsune?"

"That's what I want to know," Mitsune said, shaking her head.

"Someone has to know," Suu said suddenly, peering at the others across her large platter of ... something. Something dangerous, Mitsune knew by now. The silver-haired girl smiled mischievously.

"Who is that, do you suppose?" Mitsune prompted.

"Dunno," Suu admitted. "But someone knows, I'm sure."

Ranma strode through the door just then, and nodded at the assembled tenants before wandering towards the hall. "Dinner will be ready soon," Shinobu called to him.

He paused and glanced over his shoulder, frowning. "I'm forgetting something," he mumbled. After consulting with his book for a moment, he nodded. "Right. I won't be here tomorrow night for dinner."

"Why is that?" Mitsune asked, wondering if it was merely work, or something more interesting.

"Ucchan's having her grand opening tomorrow," he said, smiling. "Figured I'd go out to see her." He paused, considering something, then asked, "You guys want to come? It's probably good luck to have friends visit when you open a restaurant, or something."

"Okonomiyaki?" Suu asked, raising an eyebrow. "Hers was delicious, so okay."

"Ah, really, Oe-san?" Shinobu asked. "Would it be okay for all of us?"

"I can't think of a reason why not," Ranma assured her, smiling. "And, anyway, you can call me Ranma, Shinobu-chan." The girl's face turned a shade pinker and she nodded, quickly turning her attention back to the stovetop. Mitsune suppressed a vague twinge of jealousy at that; surely Ranma wasn't interested in a middle-school girl, when he could have had her. "I'll go tell everyone else that dinner's almost ready," Ranma added, turning about and walking away.

Shinobu beamed an appreciative smile towards the hallway he'd vanished into. "Oe-san can be very thoughtful," she mused.

"So can Keitaros," Suu noticed, setting her dish on the table. "Suu's special super-curry, MK VII!" She frowned suddenly, and glanced at Shinobu. "I can't quite figure out what prompts that in Keitaros or Ranmas, though."

"Say, Shinobu," Mitsune noised. "Do you have a crush on Oe-san, now that Urashima's taken?"

"Taken what?" Keitaro asked, wandering into the room. "The tests are weeks away."

"Ack!" Shinobu yelped, dropping a stirring spoon into a pot of soup. "Um, nothing, Sempai!" she assured him. "Have a seat! Dinner is almost ready."

Mitsune smirked, waiting for the others to filter in around the table before serving herself a small portion. She ate a bite of her meal, glancing at Ranma as she did so.

There was silence for a long moment, as they ate, Ranma finally commenting, "That's pretty spicy." The words came out in less of Ranma's normal voice, and more in a pained wheeze. "Really spicy. What's in it, Shinobu-chan?"

Shinobu blinked, and peered at Ranma's plate for a moment. "That's Suu's curry," she said, shaking her head apologetically. "What is in it?"

"Peppers, peppers, more peppers, and my specially formulated concentrate of essence of extract of _curry_!" Suu said triumphantly. "Is it good?"

"It's got a kick," Ranma managed, eyeing his plate suspiciously. "Kind of ... interesting, I guess."

"I made it for you and Keitaro," Suu said, shoveling a portion onto Keitaro's plate.

Keitaro blinked, poking at it with his chopsticks experimentally. The wooden sticks were reduced to two burnt stubs, and he stared at them for a long moment. "Um, I think I'll pass this time around," he said slowly, pushing his plate away. "But, uh, what's the special occasion?"

"I was bored," Suu said vaguely. "And I wanted to help Shinobu in the kitchen by making dinner too. So, Keitaro, try some!" Not taking his refusal as an acceptable reply, she grabbed a spoon of the faintly glowing red curry and shoved it into his mouth.

The manager of the inn instantly broke out into a sweat, his face turning bright and glowing red. His lips puffed up, and he croaked out an agonized, "Pain," before launching himself face-first into the breadbasket.

"Is it good?" Suu asked innocently.

"Very spicy," Keitaro gasped, after swallowing several mouthfuls of bread and gulping down an entire glass of water. "How can you eat that, Ranma?"

"Natural fire-resistance," Ranma assured him, his own face sweating and slightly red. "I took some magical medicine when I was younger."

"Wouldn't that be 'unnatural' fire-resistance, Sensei?" Motoko asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Details, details," Ranma grumped, finally pushing his plate away. "Anyway, I hear that the trick to eating really spicy foods is to not think about what you're eating. That way you can pretend it's not spicy."

"Does it work?" Naru asked skeptically. "Your face is red, you know."

"Yeah, but it seems to be working for Kitsune," Ranma noted, pointing at her plate.

Mitsune blinked, looking down at her plate in surprise. "Um," she said aloud, as the room seemed to warm by about a million degrees. "Ow!" She soon found herself running to the sink, desperate for enough water to cool the burning sensation in her mouth.

"Well," Naru said, "that was interesting."

"You know," Suu said, frowning at Ranma, "that's the first time I've seen a Ranma eat something other than okonomiyaki."

"Eh?" Ranma looked confused. "I've eaten in front of you lots of times."

"She does have a point, you know," Motoko said, smirking. "Usually you're far too swift to be seen eating."

"Er ... the hand is quicker than the eye, and all that stuff," Ranma grumbled. He brooded for a moment, then admitted, "There isn't always a lot of time to eat properly on the road ... I guess I've got some bad habits." He rose, shaking his head. "Anyway, I need to get to sleep - big day tomorrow. Don't forget that Ucchan's new restaurant is opening up, too."

It wasn't until after he was gone that Mitsune heard Shinobu say in a quiet voice, "Well, that explains where all those servings vanished to..."

XXX

Whistling, Ranma trod down the street, hands in his pockets, looking towards the sky. Tamago drifted down the stairs of the inn and rested companionably on his shoulder. "Myu?" the turtle chirped.

Ranma broke off his whistling and peered at the turtle thoughtfully. "You think Mutsumi-chan should be invited, too?" he asked.

The turtle nodded.

"Why not?" Ranma mused. "She did meet Ucchan at the end of the play." Turning abruptly, he hopped across the flat lot in front of Mutsumi's apartment and landed in front of the door.

A rather sleepy-looking Mutsumi opened the door, rubbing at one eye and still smiling in a welcoming manner after he knocked. "Good morning!" she greeted. "Is it time for our morning training exercises?"

"Er ... we already did those today," he reminded her. "Long nap?"

Mutsumi nodded, gesturing him inside. Ranma stepped in, glancing around the apartment. It was sparsely appointed, only a table and a stack of watermelons visible in the main room. "Are you here to study?"

"Huh? Oh, well, I should but I've been working - now I'm doing deliveries on my bicycle for a bakery," he explained. "Um ... do you remember Ucchan?"

"The okonomiyaki girl!" Mutsumi enthused, clapping her hands together. "Is she back?"

"Well ... in a way, yes," Ranma said, nodding. "She's opening up her shop today - I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to check it out."

Mutsumi blinked, narrowing her eyes and leaning forward to examine Ranma closely. "Are you asking me out on a date?" she finally asked, raising her eyebrows.

Ranma stared for a moment, while Tamago drifted to Mutsumi's shoulder, and glanced between the pair. "Um..." Shaking his head nervously, Ranma said, "The, uh, gang from the inn will be there, too, so..."

"Everyone?" Mutsumi asked. "My, that's a large date!"

"I'm not asking them out on a date!" Ranma protested. "I was just ... asking ... you if you wanted to go out to a restaurant to visit with Ucchan."

"Oh, okay," Mutsumi said, straightening up and smiling again. "When are we going?"

"Um ... right now, I guess," Ranma said, relaxing. "Can you still come?"

"Sure! Let's go!"

XXX

Ukyou squared her shoulders and eyed the gleaming grill before her. Polished to perfection, it was ready for the shop to be opened. Despite her somewhat late start on her opening day, she was still hopeful. According to the demographics, this should be a nearly ideal spot for a restaurant. It was located between two colleges, one of which was Todai, and the college crowd seemed to like okonomiyaki. In addition to that, there wasn't too much competition in the area, at least not in the same style of cuisine.

"Okay," she muttered to herself. "Here we go!"

Hopping over the grill, she threw open the sliding door, and set about putting up the curtain over the doorway. "Now, to see how much business I get," she murmured, glancing down the street. A few people eyed the newly opened restaurant, and at least one began to wander towards it.

Smiling, she re-entered the building, glancing at the corner where her single waitress was idling. She was a younger girl that Ukyou had hired from the area. Ukyou offered the girl a nod, and said, "Well, with any luck we'll be terribly busy very soon, eh, Minami?"

The girl nodded, smiling brightly, and Ukyou hopped back over the counter. "Looking forward to working with you, Boss," the girl replied after a moment. "It's been hard finding work in this area - those college kids eat up all the after-school hours."

"I can imagine," Ukyou replied, smiling ruefully. "There are quite a few of them around here." She surveyed the interior of her building with a thoughtful gaze. It was much larger than the shop she'd run in Nerima - this one had room for seating a good thirty people comfortably inside, not counting the space at the grill. Ukyou hoped that business would meet her expectations...

Her smile shifted to eager anticipation as her first customer wandered in - a lone salaryman who looked around the restaurant with a boyishly happy expression. "Wow," he murmured, when Minami led him to a seat. "I haven't been to an okonomiyaki shop like this in years!"

But more than that, despite everything she had said, and all the years that had passed, she hoped that her first customer would be Ranma. Well, business was business, ultimately, and that dream had slipped through her fingers years in the past.

"Welcome!" she called, waving.

"Wow!" he enthused more loudly, perusing the menu. "Um, I may need a moment to look this over," he said apologetically, absorbed in it to the point of ignoring Minami. The girl blinked in surprise, then glanced at her outfit.

The modest, calf-length skirt and pale blue blouse were not unattractive on her, but the man seemed far more interested in the menu. "Well, Boss," she said, drawing up to the grill, "I think that you put together a really pretty menu, there." She pouted at Ukyou. "A girl might get to thinking that her looks don't matter."

Ukyou snickered, shaking her head. "Oh, don't be silly," she chided. "And, anyway, I promised I'd teach you to cook as well, if everything works out, right?"

"Right!" Minami said, clenching her fist and pumping it in the air. "And- whoops!" She cut off abruptly, as a crowd burst in through the open doorway all at once. "Welcome to Ucchan's Okonomiyaki!" Minami greeted, waving at the newly arrived customers.

"Ranchan!" Ukyou called out, delighted, as the swarm of people she had recognized as actors and tenants of the Hinata-Sou looked around the interior of the building.

Ranma walked past Minami, waving at Ukyou. "Heya, Ucchan! Congratulations on opening up your new place - it looks nice."

"Have a seat up here," she offered him, gesturing to the stools in front of the grill. "Minami, why not let them all sit up here?"

Minami shrugged, and gestured to the seats the crowd was already helping themselves to. Before she could say anything else, however, another small crowd of people burst into the door, and Minami was quickly leading them to tables and passing out menus.

"Hurry, Ranchan!" Ukyou said. "For luck, I have to make you the first okonomiyaki. What'll you have?"

"It has to be from the menu," Minami shouted across the increasing din inside the restaurant. "Special or complicated orders are bad luck for the first order of a grand opening." She dashed to Ranma's side, as the man looked at her, slightly bewildered. "Now, you have to give me your order, or you'll curse us all to poverty."

Ranma blinked, furrowing his brow, but Minami was out of menus. "Um, well ... can I have the ... uh ... special?" he hazarded.

"Which one?" Ukyou asked, grinning.

"Um ... the one you always made for me?" he asked hopefully.

"Are _you_ Oe Ranma?" Minami asked speculatively, leaning forward to examine Ranma critically.

"Er ... yes?" he hazarded.

"Excellent!" Minami crowed, clapping her hands together as she straightened up. "One number one, Boss."

"Got it," Ukyou replied, giggling. The assorted salarymen and guests sitting at the bar laughed quietly, thinking they had stumbled onto a well-rehearsed joke. "One number one!" In short order she had whipped up the okonomiyaki and slid a plate in front of him.

After a tentative bite, he said, "Just as good as ever, Ucchan!" and everyone cheered, yelling out at once. Minami bustled about, writing down the specific orders and dashing to the grill, while Ukyou cooked furiously.

"So," she finally managed, once the initial rush had died down to a mere steady flow. "How have you been, Ranchan?"

"Pretty good," he replied. "Mostly just thinking it's nice to have a friend you can drop in to visit, you know?"

Ukyou nodded sympathetically. "I understand," she said. "Be sure to come by once in a while, okay?"

"No problem," Ranma assured her, smiling.

In a far corner of Ukyou's restaurant, unobserved by the crowd, a young woman in a severe business suit watched the group at the counter, her eyes fixing on Ranma in particular. "So," she murmured. "This is where you've been hiding."

XXX

It was later that evening that the assembled tenants of Hinata-Sou finally dragged themselves away from Ukyou's restaurant. For a moment, when the group emerged from the building, Shinobu stared at the small stack of hastily scribbled instructions that Ukyou had given her - a recipe for okonomiyaki batter, and another for sauce. But a few steps from the door, the chill wind of the deepening winter struck her, and she shivered uncomfortably, looking upwards.

A few stars peeked shyly through the ambient glow of the nighttime city, seemingly clearer with the cold air, and a crescent moon hung over a large building in the distance. She shivered again, wishing she had remembered to bring a jacket. At her side, Suu was dressed in only her winter school uniform, seeming otherwise oblivious to the cold. The pale-haired girl looked distant, contemplating something.

"What are you thinking about?" Shinobu asked, tucking the notes Ukyou had given her into a pocket and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Banana okonomiyaki," Suu said with quiet decorum. "There was no banana okonomiyaki."

"Well, maybe I can try to make you some later," Shinobu offered, wishing the walk warded more of the chill off. Her thoughts were interrupted when a jacket was placed across her shoulders, and she stiffened in surprise. "Sempai?" she asked curiously, glancing over her shoulder to see Keitaro offer her an encouraging smile.

"The cold weather sneaks up on you, huh?" he asked.

Shinobu nodded wordlessly, bowing her head. Keitaro sneezed loudly, and she looked up in alarm.

"You dummy," Naru chastised Keitaro, grabbing his arm. "You'll catch cold."

Keitaro chuckled again, ducking his head at Naru's admonishment.

Suu studied the pair for a moment, and Shinobu did the same.

Keitaro seemed to forget about her the moment that Naru had touched his arm ... walking past her and Suu obliviously. Naru also seemed absorbed in Keitaro, not noticing them as they strolled down the sidewalk, presumably back towards the train that would drop them off near the Hinata-Sou.

Shinobu sighed softly and shook her head.

Suu glanced between Keitaro and Shinobu for a brief moment, then seized Shinobu's arm in the same way Naru had taken Keitaro's. "Let's all hold hands!" she cheered.

Shinobu's eyes widened, and she felt a surge of warmth in her face, the heat from Suu suffusing through the jacket and warding the chill off nearly completely. "But- But- Kaora!" she sputtered. "We're not like that!"

"Why not?" Suu asked, leading her down the sidewalk. "We're friends, so it's okay, right?"

"But... but..." She let her protests trail off. What could it really hurt? Suu was just cold, more likely than not. "Oh, Suu-chan, some day you'll understand that people could get the wrong idea."

"We'll worry about that day when we get to it," Suu said firmly. "Until then, if someone's got a problem with it, we can just re-educate them. The treaty doesn't hold outside of the inn!"

XXX

Humming to herself, Ukyou finished cleaning the grill, taking a breath and releasing it in a sigh. She glanced up, seeing Mitsune still seated at a corner of the counter, while Minami finished sweeping up out front. "Are you planning on staying all night?" Ukyou finally asked, smirking.

"Ah, just a few minutes, maybe," Mitsune replied, glancing at the doorway.

"Oh, trouble with Ranchan?"

Mitsune looked away and nodded unhappily.

Ukyou clicked her tongue and turned to look at Minami. "Go ahead and call it a night," she offered. "I'll finish up here."

"You got it, Boss!" Minami said cheerfully, waving as she left, latching the door behind her.

"So," Ukyou said, pouring a cup of tea for Mitsune, and then another for herself, "what's going on with you and Ranchan? I know he said you weren't dating, but ... I can tell you still have a thing for him."

"Just like you do?"

Ukyou couldn't help but flinch, and managed a wry grin. "Maybe he's got some funny power over Kansai girls," she admitted. "Yeah. I mean... I can't help it." She sighed. "But I know he didn't seem interested in me then, and he doesn't seem to be now, either."

"He's got a blind spot, that's for sure," Mitsune agreed. "If you... Hey. Let me tell you what happened between us. It was ... the curse that ... I had trouble with."

"Just 'cause Ranchan turns into a girl?" Ukyou asked, frowning.

"Well... More that he said the curse is part of him, and he's gotten stuck before," Mitsune said slowly. "So... He said if I couldn't handle the curse, I couldn't ... well ... handle him."

Ukyou nodded slowly, mulling that over. "I never really thought about that part," she admitted. "Well, it doesn't matter, I suppose. Ranchan likes me as a friend, and if that's what I get, that's what I'll take. Aside from which, I did kinda smack him around when I saw him again."

"He's not a bad friend," Mitsune agreed, smiling wryly. "Just wouldn't mind a little more."

"Could you imagine how much of a handful he'd be if he knew?" Ukyou asked, chuckling. "Come on. It's late - I've got a spare room upstairs. Let's talk over some sake."

"Sounds like a winning plan to me!" Mitsune cheered.  


* * *

Author's Notes:

There we go.

Not quite what I had planned, but ... close. 


	14. New Year's Tidings

"It is a solemn occasion that has us all assembled here today," Mitsune intoned grimly, surveying the other tenants before her.

Suu raised an eyebrow curiously, then nodded to herself. "Of course," she said firmly. "We must launch an investigation immediately."

Shinobu looked between Mitsune and Suu curiously, but Mitsune was already continuing her speech. "Now, we've got precious little time to act, so we're all going to need to cooperate to find out what we want to know. This is a plan that will take all of us working together and precise coordination to accomplish." She smacked a fist into her opposing palm. "But if we work together, we can do it!"

"Um ... what exactly do we need to accomplish?" Shinobu asked.

"Why, we need to find out what Keitaro's gotten us for Christmas!" Mitsune exclaimed.

"We all need to work together?" Naru asked doubtfully.

"And why can't we just respect his privacy?" Motoko objected. "We'll find out anyway, if we are patient."

"We all need to work together!" Mitsune insisted. "It's of the utmost importance."

"Which kind of explains why you're all hiding," Sarah announced, popping open an entrance to an air-duct, and poking her head into view. "While you're all down here in the crawl-space, both of the living practice dummies have gone to work. If you want to peek, now's the time."  


* * *

Diamonds in the Rough - Chapter Thirteen - New Year's Tidings

Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine. That's all.  


* * *

Mitsune pouted, but the assembled tenants quickly made their way to the first floor of the inn, brushing off the accumulated dust they'd gathered. "You amuse yourselves," Naru announced firmly, turning away. "I'm going to study."

Motoko nodded faintly, saying, "And I intend to practice. Ranma has been increasing the difficulty of our sparring matches lately."

"Oh, you guys are no fun," Mitsune grumbled. Turning to Shinobu and Suu she asked, "Are you two still in?"

"Um ... I don't think we should go through Sempai's things," Shinobu opined.

"And you?" Mitsune asked Suu worriedly. "You're not going to back out on me now, are you?"

"Hmm ... this is a mystery which requires contemplation," Suu said, settling into a meditative position. "Is it better to unravel the truth now, or wait and find out? Is the surprise worth it? Hmm..."

"Spoilsport," Mitsune groused. "I guess it's up to me, then."

She turned around and took a step towards Keitaro's room, freezing when she saw Haruka standing there, one eyebrow raised, cigarette in the usual position, still unlit. "What's that, Kitsune?" the woman asked.

"I guess it's up to me ... to ... keep these guys at bay and make sure they don't go into Keitaro's room," Mitsune said suddenly, smiling. "But, uh, you're here now, so ... be seeing you!"

"Of course," Haruka drawled, watching Mitsune dash off.

XXX

Walking to the bottom of the stairs that led to the inn, a package heavy in one hand, Keitaro paused, looking upwards. A faint drifting of snow lined the stone staircase with white, the trees on the sides bearing a similar coating. The screech of tires across slushy pavement warned him, and he turned to see Ranma carefully dismount, hefting the bike over one shoulder.

"Oh, hello," Keitaro greeted, offering Ranma a smile.

Ranma smiled back tiredly. "Where are you working these days?" she asked, currently female and stifling a yawn.

"Advertising," he admitted. "Carry a sign around in front of a store."

Ranma nodded, sighing slightly. "I distribute flyers. Which store are you advertising for?"

"Uh, the big shop just east of the train station," Keitaro said. "The one with the green roof."

"Ah, I work for the guys across the street," Ranma mused. "That makes us competitors."

"I guess," Keitaro said, starting up the steps. "I don't really feel that motivated right now, though."

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Ranma admitted, following Keitaro up the steps. "Hey, what's in the bag, anyway?"

"Um ... a present," Keitaro said slowly, looking at Ranma sidelong. "I'm trying to sneak it inside, though."

"Oh yeah, it's only a few days to Christmas, huh? Well, I'll go ahead and make a distraction for you, okay?" Ranma offered Keitaro a thumbs-up and vanished up the stairs in a flurry of disturbed snow and trailing red hair.

"You-" Keitaro cut himself off, shaking his head. "Thanks, I guess."

From the direction of the inn he heard Ranma call out, "Surprise lesson!"

Motoko unleashed a cry of alarm, and then a great chorus of surprised yells echoed about the inn.

"I'd better hurry," Keitaro realized.

XXX

Ranma had remained in female form for the study session, something that took Naru a bit by surprise. Usually it seemed that Ranma avoided being female whenever possible at home, though she seemed to take it in stride if she ever got splashed elsewhere.

Currently the redhead was lying on her stomach, browsing through a study guide with the lower half of her body underneath the heated table. Naru and Mutsumi each sat to one side of her, and Keitaro sat opposite. Mutsumi masked a yawn with one hand, then lay back on the floor, sighing. Naru shook her head, trying to focus on her study guide. "We're almost past the solstice," she reminded herself aloud. "So we should have longer days from now on."

"Yeah," Keitaro yawned. "But I sure don't feel it."

Naru sighed, shaking her head, and tried turning back to her study guide again. "So, what important events shaped the world in the year fourteen ninety-two?"

"Uh... Columbus discovered America?" Keitaro offered.

"That's right. Are you sure you got the right study guides? This seems to me to be really simple stuff."

Keitaro checked the binding of his guide quickly, then nodded. "These are right. Besides, I think it's important to give ourselves a refresher of the basics. The real tests are coming up soon."

"Bleah," Ranma noised, turning over and pulling a blanket up higher towards her chest. "This stuff is putting me to sleep."

"Me, too," Mutsumi said, raising slightly from the floor to peer at Ranma.

"I thought you were already asleep," Naru chided.

"I was, but you woke me up," Mutsumi said tiredly. Sitting up, she blinked blearily as she cast about the room. "Did I miss much studying?"

"Um, no, you must have only just dozed off," Keitaro assured her.

"Oh?" Mutsumi bowed her head and raised a hand to her cheek. "But I could have sworn it was longer; I had a dream."

"What about?" Ranma asked, sitting up and shivering slightly.

"I dreamed that you were fighting someone," Mutsumi said quietly, frowning and raising her head. "And you were angry."

The redhead shrugged her shoulders uncomfortably. "Well, I fight a lot... Used to fight even more, though."

"Hmm," Mutsumi mused. "You were there, and Naru-chan, and Kei-kun, and Haruka-san, and I was there, and Liddo-kun, too." Mutsumi narrowed her eyes and leaned closer to Ranma, inspecting her thoroughly. "And you and your brother were fighting against some people who looked very angry." She shivered suddenly. "Well, I guess it was just a dream! Should we get back to studying?"

Ranma blinked at Mutsumi for a long minute, then said, "Um, yeah."

"Before we start, can I ask you a question though, Ranma-kun?" Mutsumi pressed, still looking at her closely.

"Er, go right ahead." Ranma looked uncomfortable, nervously adjusting the blanket to not let any warm air escape from around her legs.

"Why are you still a girl?"

Ranma twitched, nearly pulling the blanket hard enough to tear it, then managed a weak laugh. "I don't like to get wet when I don't have to when it's this cold," she explained. "Even if the water's nice and warm, the air is freezing."

Satisfied, Mutsumi nodded and sat down to a better study position. "Well, how about you go next, Kei-kun? I already asked a question."

Keitaro stared at Mutsumi for a moment, then collected himself and nodded. "Um, okay. Ah... Here we go. In the Book of Genji..."

XXX

The snow of the previous night had thickened, spreading a carpet a dozen centimeters thick across the courtyard in front of Hinata-Sou. Shinobu admired it from the balcony after the morning ritual of brushing her teeth was completed. She could hear the other tenants shuffling around behind her in the chill morning, none willing to brave the cold air.

Tiptoeing through the front halls, she had stopped on the exposed balcony, bearing the temperature to admire the pristine beauty of the snow. "Ah," she sighed, shaking her head. "How pretty!"

And a shame, she thought, that no one else was about to enjoy it. That thought cut off suddenly. With the snow, would Ranma still want them to practice? He tended to go much more gently with their training than his own, with the exception of Motoko. "Of course he wouldn't," she assured herself. "I can't hear him practicing, after all."

A sudden battle cry rang out from the side-yard where the training traditionally took place, and the entire field seemed to rise, snow flying upwards and then drifting down once more.

"Nnng," Suu noised, emerging from the warmth inside and looking around. "It's morning," she observed unenthusiastically. "And there is a lot of undelicious snow on the ground."

"Ah ... good morning, Suu-chan," Shinobu greeted the other girl, sighing sadly at the mess she knew would be waiting for her on the field. "Did you rest well?"

Suu nodded. "Ranmas are able to sneak out of bed without warning," she said quietly. "At least they're pretty warm, most of the time."

"Well, we should prepare for practice," Shinobu remarked. "Let's get ready, okay?"

"Practice?" Mitsune groaned, the second the pair stepped back in through the doorway. "But it's cold outside!"

"Well, Keitaro already headed out, and Oe-san is a girl right now, so I'm going to keep an eye on him," Naru said smartly, already wearing her normal practice clothing.

Mitsune hung her head in defeat. "Fine, fine," she grumped. "I'll be right there."

After Shinobu and Suu redressed they assembled with the other tenants on the edge of what was in theory the lawn. It had spent most of the season as a muddy field, and was now covered in snow, so Shinobu debated the virtue of calling it a lawn, but it was still the practice yard either way.

To her surprise, the snow looked undisturbed, save a handful of footprints around Ranma and Motoko. The redhead stood completely still, while Motoko took painfully slow steps forward. "Don't concentrate too hard," Ranma admonished. "There's a certain ease of thought that comes with it."

Motoko nodded, not relaxing her look of determination in the slightest, and took a step forward.

"I don't get it," Mitsune said, after watching three more halting steps.

"Oooh, this Motoko is running in stealth mode!" Suu piped up, eyes brightening instantly. She whipped a pair of goggles from one pocket and studied Motoko intently. "Lowered heat emissions, which acts as minor thermoptic camouflage."

"I don't know about that, but now that you mention stealth, she's hardly leaving footprints," Naru pointed out.

Shinobu looked. Sure enough, wherever Motoko walked, there was the slightest brushing of a difference in the snow, and that was it. She turned behind her and counted the trails of footsteps she and the others had made. Five sets of footprints, carved into the snow. Checking quickly, she counted Suu, Mitsune, Mutsumi, Naru, and Keitaro.

Nodding to herself, she turned back to watch the practice.

"Wait a moment," Shinobu said quietly. "Five sets of footprints, and _six_ people, so-"

As she turned around to look, Keitaro yelped, tripping on something and plowing up a massive wave of snow. His path completely obliterated the footprints. "Ow," he managed from the end of his slide at the entrance to the inn.

"What was that all about?" Ranma asked, walking slowly across the snow and leaving just as little trace as Motoko.

"Tripped, and uh, hit an icy patch," Keitaro apologized, climbing to his feet. "I'm okay, now!"

"Um, okay," Ranma said, quirking an eyebrow. "Everyone ready to practice?"

XXX

"Ah..." Naru sighed, sinking into the bath until only her head was above water. "Nice and warm. I don't think I ever want to get out."

"I hear that," Mitsune said, sprawling against a rock, her shoulders just showing over water level. "Wow, that was a fun one. Glad we didn't have to throw each other into the snow or anything."

"I think Oe-sensei didn't ask us to spar because we'd get cold and wet in this weather," Motoko suggested, sitting up straight, keeping her hair clear of the bath's surface.

Mutsumi nodded thoughtfully and said, "Ranma-kun is good to train with; I feel a little stronger after each practice."

"Which reminds me," Motoko said suddenly, turning to look at the girl. "The practices should be coming to an end soon."

"No more free exercise instructor?" Mitsune protested. "Why not?"

"Not for you," Motoko clarified. "Otohime-san is undergoing special training."

"Oh, yes," Mutsumi affirmed, nodding happily. "He touches me here," she added, indicating her chest.

Naru and Mitsune stared for a moment, then sat up and shared a sharp look. "Well, that's certainly ... interesting," Naru finally said, eyeing Motoko.

"Er ... nothing like that, I assure you!" Motoko protested, jumping to her feet and shaking her head furiously. "It is a legitimate technique. I've studied the scroll myself."

"And he always turns into a girl before he does it, to make it less perverted," Mutsumi chimed in, smiling brightly.

Mitsune shook her head, while Naru merely looked unconvinced. "And you really feel stronger?" the younger girl asked.

Mutsumi nodded again. "I don't think I've fainted once in weeks and now I never feel dizzy after climbing the stairs." She frowned, eyes opening as she considered something. "Though, now that I think of it, I've been feeling a strange urge after Ranma-kun touches me."

Motoko was beginning to sit down, but slipped, splashing noisily into the baths. Suu rode the wave idly, while Shinobu looked like she was about to faint in Mutsumi's stead. Sputtering, Motoko managed to recover to a kneeling position. "Otohime-san!" she exclaimed.

"Oooh!" Mitsune cooed, grinning. "Tell me more, Turtle-girl."

Mutsumi blushed, her eyes narrowing in embarrassment. She touched the points of her index fingers together and then pushed on them nervously. "Well," she said slowly, "this is really embarrassing."

"Don't say it! Don't say it!" Naru and Motoko yelped in tandem, covering Shinobu's and Suu's ears respectively.

"Tell us! Tell us!" Mitsune pressed, looking at Mutsumi eagerly.

"I ... I feel the urge to pretend I'm a magical girl, and go around fighting crime," Mutsumi confessed, blushing deeply.

"That's it?" Naru complained, collapsing back into the bath, while Shinobu took deep, calming breaths.

"Could Mutsumi really be Magical Princess Turtle-girl?" Suu asked thoughtfully. "Ah! She could use her Tamago-beam to make me tons of turtles to eat!"

"I don't think that's it," Motoko said weakly, struggling to her feet. Clearing her throat, she regained her decorum. "I'm getting out of the bath," she announced quietly.

Mutsumi giggled. "Yes, we really should get out of the bath," she agreed. "Why, I remember an episode of Liddo-kun where they stayed in the bath too long, once."

"What happened?" Shinobu asked softly, recovering her equilibrium.

"Mmm," Mutsumi mused, looking thoughtful. "Ah! Now I remember!" She rose from the bath, and looked down at Shinobu and Suu sternly. "They stayed in the bath and turned into giant prunes! Then a farmer came along, and ate them all up."

"That's not what happened!" Naru yelled, jumping to her feet, while Shinobu's eyes took on a glazed look. "Ah... Shinobu-chan, that's not right. It ended with Liddo-kun and friends getting washed out to sea. Then they had to wander all the way back home and learned their lesson. Really, Mutsumi, can't you remember?"

"Oh, I guess that was how it ended," Mutsumi said quietly. "Really, the two are so similar, it's easy to get confused, right?"

"I'm getting out," Naru replied tiredly. "Shinobu-chan, you have school today, right?"

"Yes," Shinobu said quietly, climbing to her feet. She bowed politely to Mutsumi, who was still looking thoughtful.

Suu followed Shinobu into the changing room. Once the two were dressed, they made sure all their things were in order, and exited the bath. Naru surveyed the changing room, then glanced out at the obscuring curtain of steam. "Mutsumi," she called out, "don't forget to come in from the bath this time. Keitaro and Oe will want to use it, too."

"Okay, Naru-chan," Mutsumi called back. "I'm coming in now, so you can send them out."

Naru nodded dubiously, but waited until Mutsumi was actually clear of the bath before seeking out Ranma and Keitaro.

XXX

"Do you ever wonder?" Keitaro asked softly, staring upwards.

"About what?" Ranma asked, stretching his arms over his head, glad for the chance to soak.

"What the girls talk about when they're in here," Keitaro clarified, peering at Ranma.

Ranma shook one hand to shed some water, then scratched behind one ear thoughtfully. "Not really," he admitted. "I dunno. I guess they probably talk about the same things they usually talk about around us."

"You really think so?" Keitaro asked, surprised.

"Do they have a reason to say something else?" Ranma asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I ... guess not," Keitaro admitted. "I guess I was just hoping they had nice things to say about me."

"Well, the winter play aside, I don't think they have anything to complain about," Ranma assured him. "I mean, you've been running the inn as a manager since then and no problems have come up, right? I bet they say all sorts of nice things about you."

"And you?" Keitaro asked.

"How would I know?" Ranma asked. "Anyway, it's time to get out of the bath for me."

"Hmm," Keitaro said slowly, unconvinced. He watched Ranma leave, then leaned back against a rock, shaking his head. "I wonder," he mused. "Do you wonder, Tama?" he asked, turning to peer at the turtle. It shook its head placidly, and Keitaro sighed. "You're no help," he grumped. "Guess I might as well get out, too."

XXX

Christmas Eve, Keitaro reflected, had come upon him entirely too quickly. It seemed that summer had only just ended, and already it was drawing on New Years. And, of course, Christmas Eve was already there. "Ugh," he wheezed, looking up the long flight of stairs. "What a day."

"Yo," Ranma called out, sounding as tired as Keitaro felt, pulling his bike up beside Keitaro.

"Hey," Keitaro greeted weakly. "Long day?"

"Yeah," Ranma sighed, peering into the darkened sky and shivering. "You ready to go inside?"

Keitaro bit his lip and looked at the cracked stairs leading up to the inn, not meeting Ranma's eyes.

"Keitaro?" Ranma prompted after a moment, climbing off of his bike and looking at the manager closely. "Something wrong?"

Keitaro shook his head furiously. It was far too late for lingering doubts; he knew where his heart lay, and that Ranma was not interested in Naru. But at the same time... Sighing, he slumped and allowed a grudging nod.

"Well, what is it? Did you forget to buy a present?"

Keitaro snorted and shook his head. "I got something for everyone," he assured Ranma. He bit his lip again and stared up at the lights emanating from the inn atop the hill. The building itself was out of sight, but cast light into the treetops up the slope. "I just ... I have to ask you, Ranma. Who did you get presents for?"

"Everyone," Ranma said. He frowned and rubbed his chin. "I hope everyone likes what I got them."

"Here's where we find out," Keitaro said, firming his resolve.

Ranma nodded and strode up the stairs in step with Keitaro. A kindred spirit, Keitaro decided. That's what it was. A brother-in-arms. Someone who knew of his own trials and tribulations, someone he studied with, worked with, and maybe even played with, considering Haruka's attempts towards theater generously. Ranma was a friend, more than Haitani and Shirai ever were.

Neither flinched, marching to the top of the stairs and surveying the inn. The girls had decorated, and lines of brightly colored streamers radiated out from the entryway. Even though the doors and windows were sealed, light and cheer seemed to flow forth like a palpable force. Sparing one last glance for one another, the two opened the front door together, Ranma holding his bike over one shoulder, and stepped inside.

XXX

Mitsune lounged across the couch comfortably, spirits cheered by sake, though she had not yet imbibed to the point where her senses became more than slightly dulled. Shinobu puttered around the room anxiously, never running out of things that needed to be adjusted, or snacks to set on tables.

Haruka sat on the one section of the couch Mitsune wasn't occupying. Sarah sat on the floor before Haruka and drummed her heels idly beneath the table. Suu and Motoko kept themselves busy around the Christmas tree that Haruka had set up; all of them were in what Haruka had termed appropriate Christmas garb except for Haruka. This garb was a collection of frilly red and white skirts, and vests with powder-white fuzzy adornments about the edges, buttons, and seams. After that, she'd passed out an assortment of 'Santa' hats to each of the inn's residents save Suu, who had assembled her own.

Mitsune was beginning to suspect that Haruka may have enjoyed a career in fashion more than working in a teahouse, but held her tongue. No matter what Haruka thought, for the time being, Mitsune got to try on cute outfits without actually having to be a model. Of course, it was free, too, which really didn't hurt.

Turning her attention towards the television, which was displaying the final minutes of some relatively unappealing game show, her eyes tracked across Naru. She sat on the floor opposite the table from Sarah and watched the show without any real interest.

"I wonder when Keitaro and Ranma will come back," she mused aloud.

"Right now!" Keitaro called out, climbing the steps and striding into the room. Ranma followed a half step behind him.

"Presents!" Suu exclaimed, leaping onto Keitaro and clinging to his side. "Whatcha get me? Is it Tamago?"

"What? Of course not!" Keitaro said indignantly, hefting a large stack and balancing awkwardly with Suu clinging to him. "Calm down, I'll give it to you in a bit."

The girl quickly transferred herself to Ranma and repeated her inquiry.

"Hold up a second," Ranma said, ruffling the girl's hair. "I think I'll let Keitaro go first."

"Huh?" Keitaro looked around, surprised, as all eyes turned to him. "Oh, well, uh, er ... I got everyone something. Here, let me see..." He peered into the sack at his side and pulled out a box. "Here you go, Suu - bananas, all the way from ... um ... Parapara ... Para ... well, someplace. I thought you might like them."

"Ah, fuel for my battle against my eternal nemesis," Suu said, accepting the box happily.

"And, ah, Shinobu, I got you this," Keitaro announced, producing a teddy bear with a large red bow from the sack and presenting it to Shinobu.

"It's so cute!" Shinobu exclaimed, taking it and looking at it closely. "Is this ... handmade?"

"Er ... yeah, I'm surprised you noticed," Keitaro admitted, looking at Shinobu with a raised eyebrow.

"I really like teddy bears," Shinobu managed weakly. "It's ... um..."

"Nothing wrong with that," Naru assured her, looking at the bear closely. "I still have a Liddo-kun doll, after all."

Shinobu blushed and nodded, hugging the bear gently. "Thank you," she murmured. "This is very nice."

"Er ... and I got something for you, too, Haruka," he continued, pulling a small box from the bag.

Haruka rose gracefully from the couch and strolled over, and opened it. "Oh, a new ashtray." She frowned suddenly, pulling the ceramic tray from the box and holding it closer to her eyes. "And it even matches my new furniture. How did you pull that off?"

"Just a lucky guess?" he said ducking his head and chuckling. "I thought the pattern on the edge was nice, and it was kind of classic, so I thought you might like it."

"Yeah? It's got good heft. Nice and solid, too," Haruka remarked, eyeing Keitaro and tossing the tray into the air.

"I mean, uh-"

"Thanks, Keitaro," Haruka interrupted him, winking. "It's nice."

"Um..." Momentarily flustered, Keitaro only managed to nod, jumping into the air when Sarah gained his attention by kicking him in the shin.

"Yo!" she said. "You get me anything?"

Wincing, Keitaro nodded, and pulled a small, battered-looking shield out of the sack. "It's an artifact," he offered. "Supposedly it can't be destroyed."

Sarah eyed the shield skeptically, but it was thrust into her hands before she could refuse it. "It's not haunted or anything, is it?" she asked, scowling when she realized she had already taken hold of it.

"Um... So, Mitsune, I picked something out for you, too," Keitaro announced, drawing close to the couch where she still lay, watching the proceedings. "I was going to buy you a lottery ticket, but I wasn't feeling very ... lucky ... so I got you this instead," he announced, drawing a small stone statuette from the bag. "It's supposed to bring you good luck."

"Better than nothing," Mitsune allowed, examining the small marble carving of a cat curiously. Ranma shuddered and looked away. "Anyway," Mitsune continued dryly, tossing the statue into the air and testing its heft, "I think I can find a use for this." Straightening in her seat, she sat up and offered Keitaro a smile, "what did you get everyone else?"

"Oh, right," Keitaro managed, diving into the bag once more. "Um, Motoko-chan, I got you this; it made me think of you when I was working," he offered, handing the kendoka a book.

"The Book of Five Rings," Motoko observed, accepting the gift. "I've read it, but I did not have my own copy." She considered for a moment, then allowed, "It is a decent work of humor. Thank you."

"Um ... yeah," Keitaro said quietly. "Anyway, I got you something too, Naru-chan," he said, while the others were distracted by their gifts.

Naru rose, smiling softly, but unable to directly meet Keitaro's eyes. "Keitaro," she said softly.

Everyone else in the room seemed to fade away for the pair, as Keitaro fumbled for a moment to draw another package from his bag. Naru drew close enough to accept it, and opened it with no small show of reverence.

Inside lay a winter coat, which Naru drew on experimentally. "Thank you," she said quietly, raising her eyes to meet Keitaro's.

The two gazed on for a moment, oblivious to the outside world.

Haruka quietly coughed and lit her cigarette. Mitsune watched for a minute, then coughed more loudly, and asked, "So, Ranma, you brought something, too?"

Ranma nodded, looking around the room and frowning.

"Something missing?" Mitsune asked, as Naru and Keitaro broke their gaze and blushed brightly. "Or did the two lovebirds here distract you?"

"It's not like that!" Keitaro and Naru protested together.

"Of course not," Haruka noted dryly, putting her new ashtray to use.

"Um, no, I just..." Ranma trailed off, then shrugged. "Let's go ahead and pass these out, then," he mumbled to himself, rummaging through the bag and producing a quartet of similar packages. "I hope you don't think these are unoriginal or anything," he added, as he handed one to each Mitsune, Shinobu, Suu, and Naru.

The girls exchanged a quizzical glance and opened up their packages together. "Oh, hey, this is decent cloth," Mitsune remarked, pulling out a bundle and shaking it so it would unfold itself. "What is it?"

"It's what Ukyou-san drew me wearing," Shinobu said, suddenly remembering where she had seen the garment she was holding. "You got us all training clothes, Oe-san?"

"Um, well, yeah," he said, ducking his head and scratching behind one ear nervously. "I don't think I'm as good at picking out presents as Keitaro. But, I hope you like them, anyway."

"This will be warmer than my school uniform," Suu decided, rubbing her cheek against the sleeve of her new gi. Turning a soft smile at her martial arts instructor, she said, "Thank you."

"Um, no problem," Ranma said, looking towards Naru briefly.

"If we're going to be practicing throws, this will keep our normal clothes from getting dirty," Naru agreed, turning the gi around to look at the back. "It doesn't have the name of your school on it?"

"Oh, well, it's not really official yet, but, um, there should be bandanas in the packages, too," he said, shrugging.

Naru picked the bandana out of the wrapping and inspected it. White, with a black block in the front, and red kanji spelling out, "Oe Ronin-Ryu," in the center.

"Nice," she finally said, nodding appreciatively. "Thank you, Oe-san."

"That's a good, practical gift," Motoko approved.

Ranma turned to look at Motoko and raised an eyebrow. "And now you just want to know what I got for you, right?"

The kendoka looked away, and coughed pointedly, a faint blush climbing up her cheeks. "Maybe," she said in a very quiet voice.

Ranma nodded and handed her an envelope. Motoko accepted it, but Ranma shook his head before she could open it. "Hang on to that until New Years," he advised. "Trust me."

"Interesting," Haruka remarked, sinking to the couch, and pulling Sarah to sit next to her while the blonde studied the shield that Keitaro had given her. "Anything else in that bag of tricks, Oe? You get me something?"

"Did you get something for me?" Ranma countered, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure did," Haruka replied, smiling faintly. "I figured that old blanket you bought from me for your futon was falling apart, so, here ya go." The woman hooked one arm behind the couch, and unceremoniously flung a blanket towards Ranma. Suu looked up in time to get snared by the sheet, and bumbled around in front of Ranma for a moment before he pulled the blanket off.

"It's sufficiently warm," Suu declared, once free from the blue cloth. "We can sleep together tonight!"

"Uh, we'll see, Suu-chan," Ranma replied dubiously, quickly folding up the blanket and putting it on the floor beside him. Nodding to Haruka, Ranma said, "That's a very nice blanket. So, when you asked me to throw out your old wooden tea tray when you were remodeling, I noticed that it had your family name on the bottom before I tossed it. It seemed like it might have been important to your family, but it was really beaten up over the years."

"It was a gift from my great-great grandmother," Haruka agreed. "It'd been in the family for generations, but was already in bad shape before I got to it. Did you get me a replacement?"

"Not exactly," Ranma admitted, pulling a long, flat package from the bag and offering it to Haruka.

She took it, raising an eyebrow, and tore off the wrapping. Inside, was a simple wooden tea tray, obviously very old, but appearing very well cared for. On the top there was a finely detailed ink painting of a crane in a pond, looking at a turtle hiding in the reeds. "This is nice," she said appreciatively, turning the tray over, and frowning. "You even put the family name on the bottom?"

"Actually, I had the guy at the store I was working at restore it," Ranma said. "The colors were faint, so he had to do some really hard work to bring it all back, but that's the original design."

Haruka blinked in surprise, staring closely at the tray. "Well, I'll be damned," she finally said. "It even matches the ashtray. I hope this didn't cost you too much, Oe-san."

"No, no," he said, shaking his head quickly. "The guy at the store said I could ask to have something restored as a perk for working there, and he taught me a little bit about how you do things like that, too." After a minute, he admitted, "And I didn't have any other antiques to bring in for restoration anyway."

"Well, I'm satisfied that I got the better part of that bargain," Haruka decided, shaking her head. "I hope that blanket keeps you warm."

"Anyway," Sarah interjected, setting aside her shield, "what did you get me?"

"Huh?" Ranma asked, blinking at the girl. "Oh, right. Um, well, I heard you like fishing with Noriyasu-san, right? So, I got you this," he explained, handing her a small package.

She opened it cautiously. "A map of Japan?" she asked, frowning at it once it was opened.

"And a compass," Ranma pointed out. "That's a secret map, though, that me and Aniki made while we were roaming across the country. It's got some great hidden fishing spots marked in it. I thought you might want to drag Noriyasu-san along with you to one of these, sometime."

"That's not so bad," Sarah reluctantly allowed. "But why couldn't you get me something cool, like a sword?"

"Um, anyway," Ranma said, shifting the conversation away from Sarah and edged weapons, "that's it for me."

"Isn't there still something in the bag?" Mitsune asked, pointing at it curiously.

"It's for someone else," he deferred, turning towards the stairs and quickly disappearing towards his room.

"Hmm," Motoko mused. "Well, that was interesting."

XXX

Leaving the conversation and the bright cheerfulness of the lower floor behind him, Ranma quietly took the stairs, stopping at the balcony that looked out over the city. The windows had been put back in, no longer leaving the area open to the outside air.

Which made sense with the shifting of the seasons.

He sighed and rubbed at his forehead. "This is going to be awkward," he grumbled.

"What's that, Oe-san?" Shinobu asked, creeping up the stairs behind him. "Is something the matter?"

He gave a start at the little girl sneaking up on him, and turned around to look at her as she reached the top of the stairs. "Oh, well ... I... Hmm." He considered for a moment, then asked, "Shinobu, did you get something for Keitaro?"

Shinobu climbed the remaining steps and moved to stand near Ranma, peering out at the city. "I did," she said quietly. "But, um, Naru got him the same thing. I ... didn't think I should give him mine afterwards, but I still wanted to give something to him."

"What was it?" Ranma asked, frowning. "A new scarf? The one he was wearing looked like it was in pretty bad condition."

Shinobu winced. "That's the new scarf that Naru made for him," she replied.

"...oh," Ranma said quietly. "Well. Huh." The two said nothing for a moment, before Ranma hefted the bag at his side. "Um ... you know, I'll tell you something. I'm a bit new at this thing of ... well, where you give people presents and stuff. I ... before I realized it was mostly about guys giving stuff to girls, and the other way around, I thought you got things for friends, too. So, I ... got something for Keitaro. But I think it'd be weird if I gave it to him, you know?"

"Oe-san?" Shinobu asked quietly.

"I, uh, got him a gi, too. You can say I picked it out, or you asked me what to get him, or, uh, something. But, I think that might work."

"Oh," Shinobu replied, smiling a little. "Then, um, Oe-san, I know it's not much ... but would you like a scarf?"

"I could use a scarf," he agreed, shrugging. "Sure."

Shinobu slowly raised a small, carefully wrapped package, and offered it to Ranma. He accepted it with solemn dignity, offering a larger bundle back to Shinobu in return. The girl giggled, once she was holding the parcel. "Oe-san, thank you. Thank you very much. I'll go give it to him now." With that, she turned and trotted down the stairs, leaving Ranma alone.

"A scarf, eh?" he mused, opening the bundle, and trying the new scarf on. Blue and red, in a plaid pattern, and fairly thick, too. "Hmm. Nice. Now, one last present to give." Taking a breath, he steeled himself, then turned down the hallway, heading towards the side-exit - the one that would keep him clear of the other residents.

Once he was outside, he plodded through the snow, skirting around the edge of the courtyard, and carefully walking down the steps. He could have leapt down, or at least slid down on the stone ramps on either side of the stairs, but instead he restrained himself, walking slowly and deliberately.

Finally, he reached the bottom of the stairs. There were no cars in sight, and the night was still and quiet.

Taking another breath to steel his resolve, he strode across the street, not allowing himself to breathe again until he was at the door to Mutsumi's apartment.

"Maybe she's not even home," he said to himself, hesitating. "Maybe, I should just-"

His mumbling was cut off when the door opened. Mutsumi blinked at him, Tamago perched calmly on her head, only the turtle's head peering out from beneath Mutsumi's Santa cap. "Hello, Ranma-kun," she chirped, taking his wrist. "Won't you come in?"

"Er, yeah," he said nervously, shrugging his shoulders uncomfortably and stepping inside. The apartment was still very bare, Mutsumi not unpacking much more than the table, some watermelons, and her study guides. "So," he said slowly. "Merry Christmas?"

Mutsumi clapped her hands together in delight. "It is! I just got off of work for a pastry shop - they let me take home a cake, but it's too much for me and Tama-chan. Would you like some?"

"Um ... yeah," Ranma said, nodding. "And, there's something I wanted to give you, too."

Mutsumi paused, blinking at Ranma expectantly.

Fumbling for a moment, Ranma pulled a bundle from the bag, presenting Mutsumi with her own gi and bandana. "It's ... for the morning exercises," Ranma explained. "I thought it would ... come in handy."

"Thank you!" Mutsumi said, accepting it happily, and then planting a kiss on Ranma's cheek before he could back away. "Now come and sit at the table. The room's heater is broken, but the one under the table is fine."

"Okay," he said weakly, sitting down at the table. Tamago fluttered to the floor next to him and crawled beneath the warmed blankets.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Yeah, anything's fine," he replied, picking up a study guide that had been left on the table, and flipping through it distractedly.

Mutsumi paused, one hand on the refrigerator door. "Ranma-kun, is something bothering you?"

He hesitated, then nodded, looking up and smiling sadly. "Well, yeah," he admitted. "There is one thing."

"What is it?" Mutsumi asked, coming to the table and sitting opposite Ranma.

"I'm ... going to be leaving soon," he said, glancing down at the table. Tamago chirped at him curiously. "After New Year's Eve," he amended. "My lease expires then. I'm ... going to be moving out."

"Oh?" Mutsumi looked thoughtful. "Where are you going?"

"I'm not really sure," Ranma hedged. "I'm kind of ... I should... Well, Aniki said that this place was really a nice area, and I should stick around. But I already made an arrangement."

"An arrangement?"

"A promise," he clarified. "That I would move out at the end of this month. I'm ... not sure if I'm going to stay in this area, though. The best place I can find with comparable rent is across the city."

"So, you're leaving, and won't be able to study with us?" Mutsumi questioned.

"Yes," Ranma admitted, looking down at the table, and folding his hands together carefully to keep them from fidgeting. "And ... your personal training, too. I'll ... probably be gone, since we should be completely finished with that."

"Oh," Mutsumi said quietly in reply, though Ranma was busily studying the backs his hands rather than meeting her expression. "What about Motoko-chan?"

"I think she's got enough of where I'm going with the art to carry herself the rest of the way," Ranma said, raising his head and meeting Mutsumi's eyes. "She should be just fine."

"I see," she said quietly. "Well, we should make the most of our time, then!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

"Um ... okay," Ranma agreed, reaching for one of the study guides.

Mutsumi caught his hand before he reached the book. "There will be plenty of time for that later," she said cheerily. "If you're leaving, we've got to do something fun! Especially if we won't have a chance to do it again." Not listening to any protest, she hauled him unceremoniously to his feet and grabbed her coat. "Let's go out and have a toast with Kei-kun and Naru-chan!"

"They're kind of busy," he managed, "what with, uh, Christmas Eve, and all."

Mutsumi paused in the doorway to the apartment complex, one finger resting against her lips thoughtfully, her other hand gripping Ranma's wrist mercilessly. "We'll visit Haruka!" she decided. "She has the best booze!"

"Uh-oh," Ranma managed before Mutsumi set off towards the teashop.

XXX

Keitaro stood at the washstand, glancing out at the courtyard occasionally. Another dusting of snow had descended, carpeting the area thoroughly, and there was no sign of anyone walking across it to disturb it. "I wonder if the courtyard is perfectly level," he mused.

"Hmm?" Shinobu noised, padding to the sink and reaching for her toothbrush. "Why's that?"

"Well, I was just wondering if we could measure the minute discrepancies in the height of the snow to calculate the dispersion pattern for falling snow," he replied. "I was thinking about one of the study questions we were looking at last night."

Shinobu froze, toothbrush in her mouth, and turned to look at him incredulously.

Entering the room, Mitsune grumped, "Ugh, not only do you not have the decency to fool around with Naru when you're finally alone and we're all too distracted to watch, you have to admit that before I can pry the answer out of you."

Shaking her head, Shinobu started brushing her teeth again.

"I'd never do a thing like that!" Keitaro protested, scandalized. "It's not gentlemanly."

"Of course," Mitsune said, splashing her face with water. "You're too much of a wuss to make that kind of move."

"What did he do this time?" Naru asked, plodding into the room and using the basin next to Mitsune.

"Nothing, and that's exactly the problem."

"Maybe it's for the best," Haruka opined, carrying a cigarette in one hand and leaning against the doorjamb.

"Eh? What are you doing here, Haruka?" Keitaro asked. "Er, not that I'm implying you're unwelcome, or anything."

Haruka eyed Keitaro levelly, and then straightened up. "I like to brush my teeth before I smoke in the morning," she replied. "And since Oe and Otohime got so drunk they passed out in the tea shop last night, I thought I'd be gentle around their hangovers."

"So that you can really give them hell when the tea shop actually opens?" Mitsune asked, putting away her own toothbrush.

"You're learning!" Haruka said, smiling sardonically.

"Uh, I think I'm going to go for a walk," Keitaro said cautiously.

"I'd better go with you just to make sure you don't do anything you aren't supposed to," Naru grumbled, following the manager as he left the room.

"I want to watch this," Mitsune giggled, running after them.

Shinobu frowned, turning to regard Haruka curiously. "Did you do that just to get them out of the inn?"

"You catch on faster than Mitsune," Haruka opined, raising an eyebrow. "But mostly I wanted them to haul Oe and Otohime out of the tea shop for me. Why do something yourself when a few well placed words can get it done for you, with twice the amusement factor?"

"I'm pretty sure that you could be much more gentle about waking them up, though."

"Why would I want to be gentle with the girl who drank my best alcohol?" Haruka asked. Shaking her head, she added, "Can you imagine a noisier trio?"

Shinobu's eyes widened. "Please tell me if I ever upset you," she squeaked out.

XXX

Keitaro crept through the open doorway and peered in cautiously. Fallen soldiers lay on the floor in piles, and the dim light lent the area an appearance of something out of a survival horror game. A quiet noise sounded from behind the counter where Haruka occasionally idled, and Ranma was sprawled in a corner, slumped over.

Swallowing nervously, Keitaro took a cautious step inside. Naru followed him, blinking at the devastation, and Mitsune peeked in through the doorway. "Wow!" she whispered, looking at the casualties, and widening her eyes. "I wish I was here last night!"

Ranma stirred, groaning a bit, and raised his head. "Run," he managed to cough out, his voice dry and wheezing. "Save ... yourselves..."

"Oe-san?" Keitaro asked, leaning towards the man curiously, but not quite willing to take the steps closer towards him. "Are you alright?"

In response, Ranma groaned as if in pain, then slipped to the floor, unmoving.

Keitaro gulped nervously. "Otohime-chan?" he asked anxiously. "Are you here?"

Rising from behind the counter, Mutsumi smiled, just as cheerful as ever. "Good morning, Kei-kun, Naru-chan!" she chirped. "I'm just cleaning up a bit before we go jogging this morning. Sorry about the delay!"

Looking at the array of empty bottles on the floor that Mutsumi hadn't yet picked up, Mitsune nodded in approval. "Looks like you had fun last night. How many of these did Ranma take responsibility for?"

"I could only convince him to drink that one," Mutsumi confessed, pointing to one specific bottle. "But he drank six of them!"

"Ebisu non-alcoholic beer," Keitaro said, reading the label of the bottle as he picked it up. "Non-alcoholic?"

"Really?" Ranma asked, opening his eyes and peering at the bottle curiously. "Then why does my head hurt?"

Mitsune rolled her eyes. "Shameful. Can't even drink himself into oblivion properly. Tell you what, Ranma, you need lessons on drinking, you come to me, not Mutsumi. Okay?"

"Pass," Ranma replied, climbing to his feet. "I'm gonna help Mutsumi-chan straighten up here - if you guys are willing to wait, we should meet you at the bottom of the stairs in a few minutes."

"Spoilsport," Mitsune grumped, marching out the door.

"Um, no problem," Keitaro agreed, as Ranma and Mutsumi gathered the bottles from the floor.

XXX

While Naru, Mutsumi, and Keitaro jogged below, Ranma and Motoko ranged in their sparring, preferring telephone poles and the tops of lampposts, or just plain mid-air to exchange blows over the streets themselves.

The sound of fist being deflected by the flat of a blade, or a foot striking a dragon-skin armband seemed to somehow blend into the morning air. "Ah," Keitaro breathed, cresting the rise that marked the jog's halfway point. "What a great morning!"

"I agree," Mutsumi cheered, stopping by the familiar vending machine to collect an energy drink. This coincided with a particularly violent exchange of blows between the two seasoned martial-artists culminating in Motoko's sword being knocked out of her hands to where it stuck blade-first in the ground, and then launching a vicious jab with the left hand, and a follow-up palm-strike from the right.

Ranma deflected both, taking a half step back and nodding in approval. "Your weapons use is now a benefit to your mastery of your body, rather than a crutch," he declared.

"Really?" Motoko asked, dropping her guard.

"Yeah, I think you could probably have taken me down when I was your age, now."

Motoko blushed at that and lowered her head, before going to collect the sword that had stuck into the pavement. "Thank you, Oe-sensei," she said quietly, when she returned to the site where everyone else was gathered.

"Well, if I wasn't scared of Motoko before, I'm absolutely terrified of her now," Keitaro said encouragingly.

"That hardly sounds like praise," Naru said mildly, looking at the manager over the top of her drink. "Do I note that we're outside, and thus, our one restraining rule is not currently in effect?"

"Oh, are you two not allowed to fool around at the inn?" Mutsumi asked, covering her mouth with one hand and giggling. "I know a hotel right around the corner you can use..."

Both Naru and Keitaro blushed, and Ranma offered a good-natured smirk. "A hotel?" Motoko asked skeptically. "What could possibly- Ah!" Turning on one heel, she regarded Ranma. "Is this some new training which you've decided I'm not yet ready to handle?"

Ranma blinked at that. "Um..."

"Change of subject," Naru ruled. "Unless you wanted training in how to be beaten to a pulp, which is what I'm about to do to Keitaro-"

"Oh, my!" Mutsumi exclaimed, giggling again. "I didn't know you two were into that!"

"Into what?" Motoko asked, frowning. "Martial arts? Who isn't?"

Keitaro coughed delicately. "Change of subject," he seconded. "So, we're coming up on the new year pretty soon, huh?"

"Tomorrow," Ranma agreed, nodding.

Motoko shot him a look and raised an eyebrow. "Will you explain it to me later, then?" she asked quietly.

"I'd say to ask Haruka," Ranma said slowly. "But, um, ask her the day after tomorrow. Trust me."

"I see," Motoko replied, befuddled. Turning back to the others, she shook her head. "It will be the year two thousand. An auspicious number, I think. Perhaps we will find great fortune."

"Or maybe," Mutsumi added cheerfully, "because of a design inefficiency carried forward from decades ago, all machinery and computers will go berserk, leading to the wholesale slaughter of humanity at the hands of the silicon gods we've enslaved ourselves to!"

"Hmm. That could be interesting," Motoko murmured, eyeing the vending machine, one hand going to the handle of her blade. "Interesting indeed..."

"Somehow, I have doubts," Naru replied, smirking. "You've heard of Y2K compliance, haven't you? They test for that sort of stuff."

"Do they?" Motoko asked, drooping slightly. "A pity ... I so wanted to fight a worthwhile foe."

"Which is going to be the next lesson you're going to learn," Ranma said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"A worthwhile foe?" Motoko asked, perking up again. "Who is it?"

"Yourself," Ranma replied, nodding. "No, wait, that just sounds clever. Really, the next lesson is something we probably all needed to know, and I think a part of you already does know."

"And that is?" Motoko asked, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully.

"Well, we haven't much focused on any of the philosophy or mentality of martial arts, as much as the performance, right?" Ranma asked.

"Oooh, this sounds interesting," Mutsumi chirped.

Naru looked skeptical, while Keitaro turned to face Ranma with interest.

"Uh ... basically, the lesson is going to be about how the goal of being a martial artist is also about being skilled enough to not have to fight people. You can reason with them, as well."

Motoko made a dismissive gesture. "I'm far more concerned about fighting evils that can't be reasoned with," she replied. "That is the purpose of our school, you recall."

"Fair enough," Ranma allowed, "but your approach to the martial arts world also shapes your approach to the world outside of martial arts. Realistically, both of those worlds are the same, so you realize that you've either got to be two different people depending on the situation, or you need to find some way that you can be both in and out of combat, that fits both."

"Is that what you're trying to do?" Motoko asked, raising her eyebrows. "The focus of your school?"

"Well," Ranma said defensively, "the school that Aniki and I are trying to figure out is a school for more than just martial arts, it's also a school for how to deal with other things, too."

"Kind of like the Art of War," Keitaro said suddenly. "You can apply it to combat, of course, but it also applied to other things, like leading men, or managing a store ... or even creating a plan of study to get into Toudai."

"Someone should have brushed up on the Art of War more thoroughly," Naru remarked. "Well, fourth time is the charm, right?"

"Eh ... anyway, time for the trip back," Ranma said, shaking his head. "Just think about it, though, Motoko."

She nodded dubiously, and the two resumed their aerial combat, while the joggers turned about and headed back for the inn.

XXX

The New Year's Eve party was thankfully laid back after the rush, and the Christmas decorations were still up, so that was taken care of, too. Keitaro yawned from his position on the couch in the living room, eyeing the fading light of the setting sun. "It's a nice day," he murmured, before turning back to his study guide.

Naru had decreed New Year's to be, 'the last day for slacking' until after the test was taken. Because of that, Keitaro decided that rather than study, he would just skim some old reviews for a few hours, then see if he could get his video game system hooked up without Suu destroying him in the multi-player version of whatever he chose for a bit, until the party.

He looked up, seeing Ranma head for the stairs. "Where are you going?" the manager called out, curious. "We've got the party tonight, don't forget," he added when he saw Ranma's backpack, and the fact that Ranma was carrying his bicycle towards the front of the inn.

"What?" Ranma asked, scratching his head. "Party? I was-"

"You can't miss the party," Keitaro insisted, putting down his study guide. "Do you have work, or something?"

"Well, no," Ranma said hesitantly.

"Then you have to be at the party," Keitaro concluded.

Ranma looked reluctant, but nodded. "I'll just move my bike and come back up," he finally agreed.

A moment later, Keitaro had convinced Ranma to take another go at King of Magical Pretty Fighter: Mark of the Were-Senshi 1998 II Versus Mode. "You're getting better," Keitaro remarked, after Ranma won his first round, seven attempts in.

"Thanks," he said dryly. "That move with the pancakes is pretty lethal."

"You're getting better at the crocheting hook moves, though. That sweater-knitting super you finished with was pretty spectacular."

"Oooh!" Suu exclaimed, bounding into the room. "King of Magical Pretty Fighter! I play winner!"

Ranma wordlessly handed the little girl the controller. "This game is tough," he grumbled, watching Suu's character effortlessly destroy Keitaro's.

After a few rounds of total decimation at the hands of Suu, Keitaro called it quits, and Suu lost interest. But by then, the other tenants had started to congregate around the television to watch the countdown anyway. "Almost two hours to go," Ranma mused. "I should probably go, get something to eat and-"

"The snacks are ready!" Shinobu called out, bringing in a hefty tray laden with treats from the kitchen.

"You have somewhere else to be?" Naru asked, taking one of the items Shinobu had crafted - some strange little thing involving halves of eggs.

"Well, not really," Ranma admitted. "I was just thinking, was all."

"Not wanting to be here when I finally open your present?" Motoko asked, entering the room, and raising an eyebrow.

"Uh ... I wouldn't worry about that," Ranma said, calming himself a bit. "Um, could I have a drink?" Ranma asked Shinobu.

XXX

The girl blinked and frowned. Why would Ranma ask her for a drink? Unless he meant he wanted something with alcohol in it, instead of the water or juice he usually drank? That must be it. "I'll be right back with something for you!" she reassured him.

Retreating into the kitchen, Shinobu found a few bottles of alcohol already on the counter. Frowning, she judged them as best as she knew how. "This one's clear," she reasoned, peering at the label. "It even says so in the name. It must be weak." Nodding to herself, she fetched a large glass, and filled it all the way.

A few seconds later, she handed it to Ranma, who drank the entire thing in a single gulp. After downing it, he frowned. "That's odd," he said slowly.

"I'll get you another," Shinobu replied, taking the glass back from him before he could say anything else. Obviously he had expected a bigger drink.

XXX

After few more of Shinobu's trips to the living room, Ranma had stopped asking for anything, instead staring at the glass as though he expected it to try and attack him at any moment. Disregarding Ranma's adversarial view of his drinking glass, Keitaro watched as the countdown continued to tick towards zero. "It's almost the new year!" he said, elbowing Ranma.

In response, Ranma sluggishly turned to peer at the television. "I'll be ready for it," he mumbled.

"And ... Happy New Year!" Mitsune exclaimed, throwing back a drink of her own as Naru and Keitaro clinked their glasses together in a toast. Ranma stood up, wobbling. "House ... unsteady," he murmured. "Gotta ... escape. Too hot."

"Had a bit much to drink?" Mitsune asked, taking Ranma's arm to steady him.

"Funny tasting water," he mumbled.

"Oops," Shinobu said quietly.

"Ooooh," Keitaro said, pointing out the window behind the television. "A bonfire?"

"Hey," Haruka called out, opening a door and entering the room. With the door opened, the distant sound of sirens echoed about from outside. "Looks like there's a fire pretty close by, eh?"

"That's Mutsumi's apartment!" Naru yelped.

Without wasting a further moment, everyone rushed out and down the stairs to see what was happening. The firefighters were busily unpacking their equipment and trying to extinguish the blaze. "What's goin' on?" Ranma asked sluggishly. "I ... Mutsumi?"

"She's still inside?" Keitaro yelped, looking around for the girl frantically. "But, I- Hey! Hey you!" he yelled, approaching one of the onlookers. "Did everyone get out okay?"

"You mean people actually lived in here?" the man asked in response.

"She must still be inside!" he despaired. "We've got to get her out!"

"I'll do it!" Ranma said, nodding, and taking a half-dozen uncertain step forward before falling flat on his face. "Stupid ... coordination..." Keitaro reflexively shielded his eyes from the flash of light that Ranma used to burn the alcohol out of his system. The second the blaze was out, he was tackled by a half-dozen fire-fighters and hauled away from the conflagration of the building.

"You can't go in there!" one of them warned, as they dragged him back to Keitaro's side. "We can't let you get closer than this."

"Someone's ... still inside," he gasped.

The firefighters looked back at the house, as a section of the roof collapsed in, sending a roaring column of fire and sparks upward. "We'll do what we can," they promised, running towards the inferno.

"No," Ranma groaned, "too dangerous." More loudly, he yelled, "Mutsumi! Where are you?"

Improbably, from one of the less damaged second story windows, the young woman appeared, waving frantically. "I need a little help!" she called out, as the fire fighters backpedaled and started searching for a ladder rather than trying to negotiate the blaze.

The house gave another lurch then, more of it collapsing. "Eek!" Mutsumi exclaimed, waving again. "Help!"

Ranma shook his head. "Can't ... okay. Stand back." Keitaro ushered everyone back from Ranma without needing a second warning, only Suu needing to be pulled back by Haruka. From there, his aura blazed brightly, a harsh, actinic blue. "Mutsumi!" he yelled. "Good girl's exercise, step one!"

Whatever Mutsumi said in response was lost in a rush of flaming timber. Keitaro had the vague impression, for some reason, that she was talking about a 'watermelon hoop kill', but that didn't make much sense. Either way, he watched as Ranma's aura seemed to leap up from his body and fly directly to Mutsumi, ignoring the heat of the flame and the fire fighter's protests.

And then everything changed.  


* * *

Author's Notes: I know the number of points and locations are reversed; many people have told me that. However, I reasoned that the points to _activate_ the ability are different (opposite) from the ones we know that Ranma used to _DE-activate_ it. Just my thoughts on that, though. 


	15. Revelations and Leavetakings

For Keitaro, time seemed to have stopped almost entirely. As far as he could see, no physical substance could move. Only energy was free to shift about.

The blazing fire wavered and flickered, snapped and danced, all beneath a frozen cloud of smoke. The fire fighters and their equipment were stuck in place, unmoving, yet their voices continued to shout orders.

In this dimension of frozen time, Ranma's aura still flared, flickering at a slower pace than the hungrily rising flames. But most of that aura wasn't around Ranma, it was a flying, oddly shaped lump of bright energy that was sliding across a silver, five-pointed wire connecting him to someone hidden behind a screen of flame.

This odd lump soared through the air, power free to move in the matter-frozen world it was passing through. The flames drew back as it approached them, and then it vanished into the house.

With a slow, ponderous creak, the house began to move, infringing on what was an energy-only right, until everything else began to move too. The firefighters slowly unwound themselves from a standstill, to slow motion, to frenzied activity, spraying water across the flames.

The flames which now consumed the entirety of the building, collapsing into a pile of blazing timber and ash.

"Mutsumi," Ranma choked, just before he fell limp and the five-pointed wire of light snapped, recoiling into the ruins of the house.

A second later, leaping through a small gap in the still-collapsing building, Mutsumi flew free of the flame, wreathed in an aura of cold blue fire.

"Oh, my," she said as she landed next to Ranma. "That was unexpected!"  


* * *

Diamonds in the Rough - Chapter Fourteen - Revelations and Leave-takings

Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine. That's all.  


* * *

... noise from outside? What was it that had brought her-

"Ranma!"

The thoughts died a swift death. "I can explain everythin-"

"No," the girl said, her voice cold, eyes filled with raw hurt and anger. "You can't, Ranma. Get out."

"But-"

"Get out!" she screamed, stepping away from him, while another figure stepped forward, his long black hair dripping in the cold rain, just as much anger visible in his gaze.

"This is too much, Ranma," he said, growling. "Leave - now."

"I..." But they had no reason to listen. Not bothering to face either of them any longer, and unable to bear the sight of...

XXX

Mutsumi blinked her eyes a few times to completely wake up, and stared at the ceiling. "How odd," she mused, sitting up. "I don't think that was my dream at all."

"Mmmm?" Naru noised, waking and struggling to sit upright on her own pallet. "What's going on?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Mutsumi's eyes surveyed the room until they discovered a clock. "This is a good time to wake up," she decided. "Why did I stay at your place, Naru-chan?"

"Your place burned to the ground," Naru said. "Ugh. I stayed up too late last night celebrating. As long as we're awake, let's go take a bath."

"Okay." Mutsumi climbed to her feet, noticing she was wearing a pair of Naru's old pajamas. Loosening the top button relieved some of the uncomfortable tightness across her chest. "Naru-chan?"

"Hmm?" Naru asked, grabbing a spare change of clothes.

"Have you ever had someone else's dream?"

The younger girl snorted, leading the way out the hall and towards the bath. "If you mean 'have I spent more than a year of my life trying to help someone else realize his own dream', then yes."

"Well, I meant more in the sense of someone throwing a ball of their own life energy at you to help you save yourself from a roaring inferno and accidentally bringing a few of their memories with it, but I suppose that will do," Mutsumi said softly.

This caused Naru to halt in the act of opening the door and turn to look at Mutsumi speculatively. "You had Oe's dream?" she asked quietly.

"Oooh, was it naughty?" Mitsune asked, seeming to spring from nowhere, one hand holding an icepack on her head, the other steadying herself against a wall. "Was it about me?"

"No, I don't think it was naughty," Mutsumi said quietly. "But it may have been private."

"Or just a dream," Naru reasoned, turning about and opening the door the rest of the way.

Nothing else was said until everyone was soaking in the baths, Mutsumi's one remaining change of clothes already running through the dryer as Shinobu had valiantly finished bathing much earlier, just to tend to such things. The smells from the kitchen suggested she was still keeping herself busy for when everyone finished their baths, as well.

"So," Mitsune said, sighing a bit as the pain of her hangover began to subside. "What did you dream about?"

"A dojo," Mutsumi said slowly. "I think. It was hard to tell. There was a girl there, too. I think she meant a lot to Ranma-kun ... an awful lot."

"Ah, his former wife?" Motoko asked, having joined them in the bath after Mitsune.

"No... She was different. I remember the picture of his wife. And not Ukyou-kun, either," Mutsumi said thoughtfully. "Hmm."

"Well, he did mention that there were three girls," Mitsune reasoned. "Maybe that was the one we've never really heard of?"

"I suppose that must be it, then," Mutsumi decided.

"Anyway. What were they doing in the dream?" Naru asked curiously.

"And was it naughty?" Mitsune added.

Mutsumi shook her head, smiling. "I think that it's not something Ranma-kun would like us to talk about," she decided. "It's probably very private."

"So it _was_ naughty," Mitsune decided aloud, crossing her arms beneath her chest. "After all this time."

Naru rolled her eyes. "Anyway. That aside, we should get out and let the boys clean up."

"Ah, that reminds me. I need to ask Haruka that question," Motoko piped up, climbing out of the bath.

"Shoot," Mitsune grumped, when Mutsumi didn't go for the bait. "Well, hopefully he'll tell us what happened when he's good and ready ... still one girl we haven't heard about."

"Some of us have better things to do with our time than chase dreams, Kitsune," Naru commented wryly.

XXX

"Ahh ... a new year, and I feel refreshed," Keitaro mused, reclining against a rock and sighing happily.

"I'm alive," Ranma groaned. "I think that's as close as I'm going to get today."

"Ah ... yes." Keitaro frowned thoughtfully and looked at Ranma. The other man's eyes were sleepily half-closed, and he crouched into the water up to his neck. "So ... what exactly happened, last night?"

"There was a fire."

Eyeing Ranma, Keitaro deepened his frown. "Well, yeah. I saw that. I was asking about that ... how you ... Mutsumi... What exactly is 'good girl's exercise', anyway?"

Ranma's stony gaze, beneath those half-lidded eyes, remained fixed on a point in the water. "It's very complicated," he said at length. "I don't think you would understand."

Keitaro sighed, settling deeper into the water, as Tamago drifted past him.

After a moment of silence, broken by Shinobu calling everyone to breakfast in the distance, Keitaro hazarded, "You don't know, do you?"

"I don't even have a clue," Ranma admitted, shaking his head.

XXX

Shinobu pressed her hands together, allowing the extra warmth picked up from moving the plates of hot food to the table to pass through from one hand to the other, and surveyed her handiwork. There was a spot for everyone to sit at the table. Some time ago - probably it was in November, she supposed - she'd asked Ranma and Keitaro to widen the table, and insert the removable leaf that was nominally kept in one of the closets.

Usually it only needed to be done once or twice in a year, she reflected. Before Keitaro had moved in, Grandmother Hina had only needed it put in for the New Year's party. After she had left, it had been used on occasions when Haitani and Shirai came over, though those were rare.

With Ranma being added to the household, and Sarah spending more time at the inn than the teashop, the leaf had been called on more often than not, until Shinobu had finally decided to just leave the thing in place.

This was important because it gave her enough room to set a place at the table for everyone, and still fit Haruka, Sarah, and Seta, if he happened to pop in.

There was no sign of the archaeologist at the moment, but with Mutsumi staying over, the extra space came in handy. The dishes were set just so, everything was warm ... and for some reason, no one was in the dining room to eat it.

Cold food wouldn't do. Raising her voice to what she considered a shout, she called, "Breakfast is ready."

She imagined it wasn't very loud, and thought about just going around and collecting everyone for the morning meal in person, but after her call, Mitsune trudged in, followed immediately by Motoko. "Thanks for keeping it down," Mitsune said, smiling, and wincing slightly. "Ugh. Bright. Smells good, Shinobu-chan."

Motoko said nothing, merely smirking at Mitsune's alcohol-induced suffering and taking a seat. "Ah," she said suddenly, reaching into a pocket and producing an envelope.

"Oooh, you got dirt on someone?" Mitsune asked, taking a seat near the kendoka and trying to read over her shoulder.

"Perhaps," Motoko replied, tucking the envelope back away and shooting Mitsune a reproving look.

"Aw, no one's letting me get any juicy gossip. It's a good thing that stuff blows up around here all the time, or I'd start getting bored," she grumped.

As if on cue, there was a low, earth-shaking rumble, and Suu re-entered the inn from the side-door. "Good morning," Shinobu greeted the girl.

"Morning," Suu replied, somewhat less than her usually chipper self.

Taking a bite of the omelet on her plate, Mitsune asked, "Something wrong, Suu?"

"My experimental Tama-seeking rocket violated the Hinata-Sou non-aggression treaty," the girl replied dourly. "It had to be destroyed."

Haruka entered at that moment, from the same door Suu had used. "Sorry, Suu-chan," she said, shrugging and trying to smile comfortingly around her cigarette. "It's just that a lot of effort has been put into this place, and it'd be a pity to put Keitaro and Ranma to work fixing it up again."

"Well, I can still study them," Suu agreed, forgetting what had upset her and turning to her own breakfast.

The others trooped into the room then, filing to seats around the table. Shinobu nodded approvingly, taking her place at the head of the table, nearest to the kitchen should anyone need something not already set out. To her left were Naru, Keitaro, Suu, Sarah, and then, sitting opposite her, Haruka. To her right were Mutsumi, Ranma, Mitsune, and Motoko.

"This is really good," Ranma said, eating his meal slowly.

This garnered a few odd looks. "Hmm ... energy output has dropped," Suu commented, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"I'm feeling a bit drained," Ranma deadpanned. "But, thank you for letting me stay here last night. I'm sorry about imposing."

"Your speech about walking away was very noble," Keitaro opined, nodding encouragement.

"Your inability to blink under your own power was less than convincing, however," Motoko noted, producing the envelope from her pocket again. "Also, last night, while you were dealing with the fire, I was distracted by your 'gift'."

"Ah," Ranma said, edging slightly closer to Mutsumi, and away from Motoko. Mitsune realized her point as the buffer between Ranma and Motoko and leaned back thoughtfully, shooting curious looks both ways. "Well. It was what you wanted, right?"

"I considered your speech to me the last time we trained, as well," Motoko added. "So I will not beat you, as I'm sure I could in your weakened state, for your lack of common sense."

"Ugh," Ranma mumbled, hunching over and shrinking in on himself.

"Well, Motoko has to observe the Hinata-Sou non-aggression treaty, too," Suu reasoned, nodding.

"I think it's more a mutually assured destruction pact, Suu," Mitsune interjected.

Shaking her head, Shinobu realized that her carefully crafted pseudo-family get-together was being treated roughly, and asked, "Um, what's this about?"

"If it's a bad present, he didn't mean it," Keitaro added helpfully, addressing Motoko. "I mean, you're hard to shop for."

This drew all eyes from Ranma and turned them squarely on the inn's manager.

Obliviously, he added, "I thought about getting you a bra, before I thought better of it."

Naru blinked slowly. Motoko stared incredulously. Haruka coughed quietly, which by now Shinobu had learned to interpret as a sign of amusement.

"Er," Keitaro noised, realizing the attention focused on him was largely not positive. "We were criticizing Oe's bad choice in gifts?" he hazarded.

This gambit seemed successful, as Motoko turned her attention away from Keitaro and back to Ranma. Haruka's attention followed. Suu's eyes darted around the table swiftly, and Sarah looked mildly curious. Mutsumi seemed largely indifferent, merely sipping at her tea.

"If you're upset with me for giving you sake when you wanted water, I'm sorry!" Shinobu added quickly, fighting back a sniffle. She didn't think she could handle it if it was her fault that Ranma wanted to leave.

"I was wondering who nipped into the Everclear last night," Haruka murmured thoughtfully.

"Eh, what?" Ranma asked, giving the girl a look of confusion. "That wasn't why I... No. That's not it, Shinobu-chan."

"Then what is it?" Shinobu pressed.

Ranma seemed to shrink further into his seat, looking away again.

Motoko finally broke the silence. "After careful consideration, and reflection pondering what you said to me in our lesson about our demeanors in combat and out being one, however ... I reject your gift," she announced, sending the envelope flying across the table, spinning around and nearly smacking into Ranma's head. He caught it at the last moment, only a heartbeat ahead of Mitsune's snatching fingers.

"Ah," he said, staring firmly into the depths of his omelet.

"If I can ask," Mitsune said, somewhat peevishly, the letter kept from her grasp still, "what exactly was the gift?"

Ranma said nothing, continuing to stare at his plate.

"This is good tea," Mutsumi said, putting her cup back on the table and smiling cheerfully.

"Alright," Haruka said, as Ranma and Motoko continued staring; one fixed firmly on his plate, the other glaring resolutely at him. "Come on, you two. What's this about, now?"

Ranma wordlessly handed the envelope to Mitsune.

"Finally!" the young woman cried, liberating the letter from within.

"Well?" Naru asked, as Mitsune's eyes scanned down the page.

"Huh? Oh, right," Mitsune said, coughing a bit to clear her throat. "Okay. 'Motoko-chan, I think you've done well, and learned a lot in the time we've trained together. But I also remember our promise, and as we agreed all those months ago, will move ... out?'" The questioning note was obviously entirely Mitsune's, as she broke off to look at Ranma in consternation. "Wait, wait, you were just going to run away? Without a word or a wave goodbye, you were just going to run off? And what, live in the forest?"

"That ... was my plan, yeah," Ranma said, still looking at the table.

"What about our martial arts training?" Naru asked, frowning at Ranma. "Were you just going to take us that far and then vanish?"

"N...no," Ranma defended himself falteringly, looking up, slightly wounded. "I made sure ... last night, you saw that Mutsumi's training was complete. There's no doubt in my mind that Motoko is good enough to continue teaching you. I ... I'm not ... I don't think..." At a loss for words, his gaze dropped to the plate again, and he worked his jaw for a moment. Realizing he couldn't find anything to say, he just shook his head and closed his mouth.

"Oe-san," Keitaro said quietly. "I remember ... that we originally agreed you would stay for what you paid for in advance. And I know that ... at that time it seemed like that was as long as everyone wanted you to stay..." He trailed off there, and looked about the table for support.

"But that was then!" Shinobu exclaimed, putting her hands on the table and looking at Ranma with the sternest glare she could muster, even if her eyes were watering. "We thought you were ... violent ... and a pervert ... and didn't belong ... but we were wrong!" She halted with a sniffle, and bowed her head to stare at her own breakfast.

"And I think you're also failing the promise you made my sister," Motoko grumbled. "You said you would teach me. Do you think I'm done learning?"

"Ranma-san ... I'm sure Motoko can teach us, but you can't just leave us when we're learning your school," Naru chipped in. "This isn't just a collection of throws and punches ... every time you teach us something, you also show us how we can use it in our lives."

"He does?" Keitaro asked quietly, earning himself a sharp look from Naru.

Turning back to Ranma, Naru softened her gaze. "Motoko-chan ... is still learning that with us. And I think ... you are too. Do you want to throw that all away?"

"No," Ranma wheezed, his voice rough, his head still bowed. "But..."

Haruka raised an eyebrow skeptically, her cigarette removed from her mouth to rest between two fingers. "But?" she pressed.

Ranma sat up, staring at his plate. Licking his lips nervously, he said, "I think I learned why Aniki doesn't sit still if he can help it. We're ... trouble, my brother and I. We ... attract trouble to us. Aniki ... I guess he made some mistakes when he was younger, because sometimes, when we went somewhere new, and he did something good, he said, 'And now that's set to right.'

"And ... I think by staying here so long, I've brought trouble to you. If I'd been on the road, I could have done my own work. I could have set things to right without causing you so many problems."

"I calculate the loss in terms of used panties," Mitsune said flatly. "That's all the trouble you've made. Oh, aside from that rabble-rousing, where you forced those contractors to actually do their jobs. Or that time you went on a rampage and renovated the teashop.

"And let's not forget his vicious forays in the evil practices of self-defense education," she added, throwing her hands into the air. "Or, tragedy of tragedies, the time he wastes studying with Naru and Keitaro, and Mutsumi, which could, I'm sure, be better spent running away from all the 'harm' he's done."

Softening slightly, Mitsune sighed. "Ranma ... look. You haven't caused as much trouble as you seem to want to think. And you know what? People make mistakes - look at Keitaro!"

"Gee, thanks," the manager grumbled.

"But every time something went wrong, you went out of your way to fix it. You learned how to try and make it better. You patched up things with Motoko, turned _me_, of all people down as a romantic interest, and still got me to be your friend after that. You think that this is a bad thing?"

Ranma scrubbed a hand though his hair. "I ... remembered something last night," he said softly.

"What?" Motoko asked, blinking in confusion. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I remembered what I did that sent me on the road in the first place," he added, just as quietly. "I remembered the damage I've done ... and what caused it. I've ... spent so much time with you - with all of you - being happy that I've forgotten why I needed to learn what I did. I ... I really like it here. I like all of you, too. But I think ... it's time for me to move on."

Haruka made a thoughtful noise at this, putting her cigarette to her lips to free her hands. Pushing her chair away from the table, she rose. "You know," she remarked thoughtfully, carefully putting her chair back into place and walking around the table, "you remind me a lot of Seta when he was your age."

"What?" he asked, looking up from his plate in confusion. His gaze was rewarded with Haruka's knuckles, the punch flinging him completely out of his chair and onto the kitchen floor, where he lay dazed.

"Aaah!" Suu cried, covering her head. "The treaty has been broken!"

"Haruka-san?" Ranma asked, staring up from the floor incredulously.

"'Course, back then, Seta probably had an even thicker skull," Haruka added, squatting by Ranma, and poking him in the chest. "Oe, I'm sure you've got your reasons. But there's a real obvious one you missed, here."

"What are you talking about?" Ranma asked, blinking and rubbing his cheek.

"Well, it goes something like this. Let's say, you don't like to break things. Heck, you don't even like seeing things that someone else already broke. You want to fix them, and make 'em better. Right?" To punctuate her question, she brought her hands up, clasping them firmly together.

He nodded dumbly in response.

"Great," Haruka said, nodding back at him, and smiling. "Now, there's one problem, here," she continued, pointing a finger directly at Ranma. "If you run away, like you're planning, you're leaving a big Ranma-shaped hole in everyone's lives. If you want to leave, you can leave. I certainly won't stop you. But saying it's for the good of everyone here, when it really isn't? That, I won't stand for in my family's inn."

Ranma stared up at Haruka, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Well, I've broken one treaty already to make my point," she said, rising, and offering Ranma a hand up, which he hesitantly accepted. After hauling him to his feet, she said, "If anyone's going out for New Years for the festival, I've got spare outfits. Everyone who's staying at this inn is welcome to borrow one." While saying this last, she affixed Ranma with a very pointed glance, and then walked out the side door.

"You're going to live in the forest?" Mutsumi asked, blinking thoughtfully, and turning around in her seat to look at Ranma.

"Uh," he managed, noncommittally.

"Can I live with you then?" she asked, clapping her hands together pleadingly.

"What? Why?" he asked, squinting at her in disbelief.

"Oh, my own home burned down last night," Mutsumi said, giggling nervously. "I haven't a place to stay anymore!"

Ranma winced at that. "Why don't you ... stay here?" he asked, looking at Keitaro speculatively.

"We do have an open room," Keitaro said, nodding.

"Yes, but I can't afford that much rent every month," Mutsumi said apologetically. "If it were ten percent cheaper, it would be no problem, but..." She trailed off with a shrug.

Keitaro snapped his fingers together. "Ah!" he exclaimed. "I remember this. Normally we've got an oddly high number of vacancies. But I did the math - if one more person moves in, then the monthly rent can be reduced by fifteen percent, and we can still meet the inn's operating costs."

"What?" Mitsune asked, blinking. "Wait, more spending money? Well, that clinches it, then, Ranma's staying!"

"Oh, really?" Mutsumi asked. "Oh, I do hope you decided to stay, Ranma-kun," Mutsumi declared. "I'd like to stay in a place that won't blow up on me!"

"No sense of fun," Suu grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest when Motoko shot her a warning glance.

"Well, I," Ranma began hesitantly. "I just-"

"No," Motoko said, finally breaking her own long silence. "Before anything else is said... Oe-sensei, I must apologize. While I do not wish you to leave ... I still must apologize for my behavior to you before. I was rude, and should not have required of you what I did. I wish to retract the bargain I forced you to accept, and ask for you to forgive me."

Sighing, Ranma bowed his head, running his hands though his hair again. "Okay," he said quietly. "I'll ... I'll stay. I'm sorry for causing so much trouble."

"Then it's settled!" Shinobu exclaimed, happy that balance was restored to her pseudo-family. "Now let's all go to the festival together!"

XXX

"Okay, everyone together, now," Haruka said, setting the camera up on a tripod. 'Everyone' was, of course, every single tenant of the inn, plus Sarah, all dressed in kimono for the festival. "Let's see ... timer ... thing ... and ... here we go."

Sprinting, she joined the group, all of the older residents standing in a neat row, Suu, Shinobu, and Sarah standing in front. "Smile!" Haruka said turning about, slightly to one side, and facing the camera.

Everyone grinned and waited for the telltale click, which came a moment later. "Alrighty," Haruka said, turning to eye Seta, who had manifested from the falling snow at her side a heartbeat before the picture was taken. "So, you showed up?"

"Yeah, there was a disagreement over an artifact," Seta said dismissively, waving a hand. "The, uh, other archeologists wanted to disturb the site and take the artifacts back to their own country."

"Eh?" Keitaro noised. "You got in a fight with a rival archeologist?"

"No, no," Seta said, shaking his head. "It was all filing paperwork with the local government. It's not important."

"What is important is that we're all together again, pretty much. So let's go out and have fun, eh?" Haruka suggested, carefully disassembling the camera's tripod and moving the equipment back into the teashop.

"Right," Keitaro declared, smacking one fist into his opposing palm. "First stop, the temple!"

XXX

Mutsumi sighed at the light dancing snow through the branches of the trees in the park. "It's pretty," she said at length, turning back to face Ranma.

He nodded hesitantly, wondering where the others had run off.

"Ranma-kun?" she asked, leaning slightly closer to him.

"Um ... yes?" he asked hesitantly, standing his ground, as nervous as her proximity was making him.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Smirking, he rolled his eyes. "Of course you can," he replied.

"Ranma-kun ... who was that girl who was so angry at you?" Mutsumi asked pointedly.

Ranma stiffened and frowned. "What girl?"

"It was dark," Mutsumi said contemplatively. "And there was rain. You were a girl ... and there was a man with long hair ... he was angry, too."

"It's a long story," Ranma mumbled, staring at his feet.

"Ranma-kun ... I think I know why you still wanted to leave after Motoko said she didn't want you to go."

Ranma closed his eyes, and turned his head away. "It was an accident," he said hoarsely. "I couldn't ... I couldn't stand ... if it..."

He fell silent when Mutsumi took his hands in her own. "Ranma-kun," she whispered. "It's okay. I think something very bad happened. But if you run from it, you'll run from it forever. If you stay, you can try and make things better. Then, maybe, you can fix it, like you want to."

"I don't know if what I broke can be fixed," he said quietly.

"You can't know if you don't try."

His eyes opened, shining with unshed tears. "That's true," he admitted. "How ... did you know what I dreamed?"

"Good girl's exercise number one," Mutsumi said, smiling brightly. "Ranma-kun ... you've helped me a lot. I think I'm strong enough to make it into Toudai, with your help. But, Ranma-kun. I hope you let other people help you, too."

"I ... I don't think ... I can talk about it yet," he said slowly. "I ... I can promise you that I will try. And some day... Some day I hope I can explain the entire thing to you."

"Okay, then," Mutsumi agreed, releasing Ranma's hands.

XXX

"Alright," Naru announced, clapping her hands together, and setting the first of the study guides before her. "We've got to seriously get into the correct mindset for studying, now. We've spent too much time enjoying ourselves - from here on out, we have to focus."

"Right," Keitaro agreed, nodding. Ranma and Mutsumi nodded as well, saying nothing.

"Well, we'll begin, now," Naru declared.

XXX

The first week of the new year saw everyone settle into a comfortable pattern of morning practices, studying all day, and the occasional interruption from Suu's experiments.

The following weeks followed this established routine, drawing ever nearer the actual date of the tests for entry into Toudai.

Finally...

XXX

"Tomorrow," Ranma declared, snapping the book shut, and then dropping his face directly onto the table in front of him.

Mutsumi winced sympathetically. "That looks painful," she said.

"Brain ... failure," Keitaro groaned, before dropping his own face onto the table opposite Ranma.

"Okay, okay," Naru relented. "We'll let up on studying. The test is tomorrow anyway. I suppose if we haven't learned it by now, we're not going to learn it in time."

"I think if I study any more, my head is going to explode," Ranma mumbled, not moving from the table.

"I think my head's going to explode anyway," Keitaro countered, raising his eyes and fixing Ranma with a wavering stare.

"No heads exploding inside," Haruka chastised, sliding open the door to Naru's room, and stepping inside. "It's a pain to clean up." She hefted a handful of envelopes and surveyed the would-be Toudai students impassively.

"Ah!" Mutsumi exclaimed, looking up at Haruka happily. "A letter from my father?"

"Uh ... yeah," Haruka said, checking the envelopes before her. "How did you know?"

"I saw the postmark," Mutsumi said authoritatively.

"You've got sharp eyes," Haruka allowed, handing her the envelope. "Keitaro, something from your folks," she added, flinging the envelope across the table in a perfect line towards his nose. One fumbling hand batted it to the table in front of him. "Naru, something from your own folks." This envelope landed in the center of the table and slid to a halt in front of the girl. "And ... looks like something from your brother, Oe." This envelope twirled in a direct line for Ranma's ear, but he managed to catch it without raising his head.

"Ah," he said, finally sitting upright. "Aniki."

Then the four were quiet, opening their respective letters and looking them over, while Haruka busied herself passing out letters to the other residents of the inn.

"Aw, how sweet," Naru exclaimed, looking at the letter she had gotten. "My parents are wishing me luck!" She turned to look at Keitaro, who had frozen, statue-like, and turned a gray, lifeless color. The air about him seemed darkened in misery. "Uh, is something wrong?"

"Um," he said, shaking his head and banishing the pallor and hanging clouds of impending doom. "They just said that they have faith that I'll get in this time."

"They said that if you don't make it in this time, they'll stop sending you money?" Mutsumi guessed.

Keitaro winced, then nodded reluctantly.

"Aww," Mutsumi said. "I have faith in you!"

"After all the studying we've done, you'd have to be a totally hopeless idiot to fail now," Naru encouraged.

"I remember last year all too well," Keitaro said flatly, prompting Naru to wince.

"Well, I have a good feeling anyway," Ranma said, shaking his head. "We've studied a lot together, and we've gotten much better on our practice tests."

"Right," Naru said, smiling at Keitaro. "So, cheer up! It'll be the last chance you need, anyway."

"I hope so," Keitaro agreed. "What did your letter say, Mutsumi?"

"Oh, my parents said that if I fail, they'll still welcome me back," she said cheerfully. "And I can try again next year! What about you, Oe-san?"

Ranma frowned, scanning his letter. "Aniki says he thinks he's going to drop by in a month or so," he said slowly. "And that he just finished a job as an engineer, working on a tunnel." He then pulled out a thin stack of photographs. "Oh, and he sent some pictures of the project."

"Really?" Keitaro asked, leaning over. "Wow. I didn't think that was a standard engineers outfit."

"Ah," Ranma choked, blinking. "I think she's the, uh, director of the project." He put the pictures back into the envelope. "Anyway, he also said good luck." Ranma drummed his fingers atop the table and shook his head. "All those years on the road working for this ... I'm kind of nervous."

"Really?" Mutsumi asked. "I was, too, the first few times I failed the test."

"You haven't been nervous about it before?" Keitaro asked Ranma dryly.

"Well, I've been trying to keep myself from thinking about it too much," Ranma admitted. "I'm going to go out and blow some steam practicing."

"I'll join you," Keitaro decided, climbing to his feet. "I used to feel stiff after a long study session ... this practice is great for keeping in shape."

Ranma nodded slowly, pulling his notebook from his belt, and scribbling a new note in it.

Keitaro frowned curiously. If there was one thing he'd learned, it was that whatever Ranma wrote in that book, it was always interesting, at the very least. "Um, if you don't mind me asking ... what did you write in that notebook?"

"Just a thought," Ranma said, shrugging, and tucking the notebook back behind his belt. "Basically, I asked myself, 'What are martial arts good for besides fighting', and you just gave me another thing to add to the list."

"Ah," Keitaro said quietly. "Well, that's good."

The two walked in silence, followed after a bit by Mutsumi and Naru, until they reached the side-yard, which they typically used for training. Spring hadn't arrived yet, not completely, but some of the grass seed that Motoko and Ranma had scattered tried to sprout anyway, sparse strands of green across the muddy field.

Eyeing the struggling lawn, Keitaro opted to move beyond that, into the more barren area between the yard and the small island behind the house. This area wouldn't be as badly damaged if their fighting got out of hand, which with Keitaro had yet to happen, but with the more experienced martial artists was almost a given.

After a bit of stretching, Keitaro and Ranma faced off, trading weak jabs, but mostly dodging and experimenting in the more acrobatic aspects of their study. Mutsumi and Naru watched from the sidelines until Keitaro had decided he'd had enough - just in time for Motoko to get home from school and decide that she could use some practice against Ranma, too.

Keitaro joined the girls, watching Ranma and Motoko spar for a bit. After a particularly aerobic display that culminated in Ranma disarming Motoko, and then Motoko attacking Ranma full-force unarmed, their roles neatly reversed. Backing away from Motoko slowly, losing his ground, Ranma grimaced, causing everyone to laugh when he shoved the sword back into Motoko's hands and caught her with a leg-sweep.

Landing flat on her rear, Motoko stared at the blade in her hand ruefully. "That was unexpected," she admitted, when Ranma gave her a hand up.

"That's the name of the game," he said cheerfully. "Gotta keep you on your toes."

"Is that so?" Motoko asked. "Well, I'm going to take a bath now. Thank you for sparring with me again, Oe-sensei."

Ranma chuckled nervously. "No need to be so polite, Motoko-chan." He paused. "Oh, wait, you called dibs on the bath. Clever."

The kendoka masked a small smile. "That's the name of the game," she replied, turning back towards the inn.

"I think I'm going to go, too," Naru decided, picking herself up off the ground, and dusting the dirt off of her clothes. "Do you want to come, Mutsumi?"

"Sure!" the girl chirped, hopping to her feet and following suit.

"Ah," Keitaro sighed, watching the girls collectively vanish towards the baths. "You know, one of the things I liked most about you staying here is that it's easier for me to use the baths," he said, turning his gaze back to Ranma.

"Gee, thanks," Ranma said dryly, sitting a few paces away from Keitaro.

"Oh, uh, I didn't mean it that way," Keitaro said ruefully. "I don't, ah ... in all honesty, Ranma, have many friends. Most people don't like to associate with someone who's failed to get into college as many times as I have."

"What are you talking about?" Ranma asked, frowning. "Those two guys, Hirosh- Uh, Haitani and Shirai, they come over once in a while, and if they're not friends, well, have you looked at most of the people who live in the inn? The only ones I'd say weren't really your friends already would be Haruka, and maybe Sarah. And that's because Sarah's a kid, and Haruka's your aunt."

"Well, when you put it that way," Keitaro mumbled, bowing his head. "But I meant ... you know, guy friends. Someone you can talk to about girls with. And while I like the girls here, I can't really talk about that sort of stuff with them."

"Ah," Ranma said slowly. "And those other two guys?"

"They've showed up, what, twice in the last three months?" Keitaro asked. "They're good guys, and I don't mind them, but they've certainly got their own agendas. They only turn up once in a while. Like when Haruka put on that play." He frowned. "I guess they don't always have good luck or judgment when they arrive, though."

"I knew some guys like that," Ranma mused. "When I was in school. I guess I know what you mean."

"Well, that's a relief," Keitaro decided. "I think you're a friend, Ranma."

"Hey, thanks," Ranma said, grinning. "I'll keep an eye out for you, too, buddy. Hmm. Wonder when the girls will finish up in the baths..."

XXX

"Ah!" Naru exclaimed, easing her body into the hot water. "Maybe I should have worked out a little, too," she pondered, one hand rising so she could tickle the bottom of Tamago's chin. The turtle made a quiet, pleased noise and drifted in place for a while, before heading towards Mitsune, who lounged nearby, eschewing a modesty towel, and stretching in the sunlight.

"Maybe," Mitsune agreed, winking. "Looking to lose some of that weight you put on studying?"

Naru's expression stiffened, and she looked down at her body. "Weight?" she asked quietly. "Hey!" Looking up at Mitsune, she frowned and pointed, "I work out almost every day, I'll have you know!"

"I know," Mitsune said, smirking. "I'm there, remember? I'm just teasing you."

Naru grimaced, looking down at her body and uncertainly running her hands across her hips beneath the bath's surface. "Have I really?" she asked self-consciously.

Mitsune looked thoughtful, then clapped her hands together. "Let's find out!" she exclaimed, moments before tackling Naru into the depths of the bath.

Shinobu and Suu edged away from the huge splash, and Motoko sighed, her eyes covered with a damp cloth. "No rough-housing, you two," she said, without looking up.

"Oh, my, Mitsune-san is certainly bold," Mutsumi said from the kendoka's side, as Naru came up for air, followed a few seconds later by Mitsune.

"Kitsune!" Naru yelped. "What was that all about?"

"Just seeing where you stand," the woman offered good-naturedly. "And you're doing okay. Better size you up against the competition, though. Turtle-girl, want to see how you compare?"

"Eh?"

Shinobu and Suu winced, edging away from the new splash. "I said no rough-housing," Motoko mumbled, still not moving her cloth.

Mitsune came up first, grinning, then frowning as she looked around frantically. "Uh-oh. Turtle-girl?"

Mutsumi sat up, emerging from the water. "Was it a test?" she asked, blinking the water from her eyes.

"Uh ... yeah, a test," Mitsune agreed, nodding.

Mutsumi clapped her hands together. "Oh, wonderful!" she exclaimed. "How did I do?"

"Well, since I'm Naru's friend, you both get a passing grade - nothing to worry about," Mitsune assured her.

"So, what exactly was that all about?" Naru asked, frowning at the woman.

Mitsune grinned. "Oh, well, mostly wanted to see where I stood, really."

"And?" Naru asked skeptically.

Mitsune looked down, and frowned. "I think I'd better stop skipping every other day of morning practice," she concluded glumly. "Ah! I want to be a sexy college-wannabe too!"

"Don't say it like that!" Naru groaned. "It takes hard work and dedication, you know."

"Pass," Mitsune said, waving a hand and sinking back into the bath. "I'll just rest here a bit, thanks."

Mutsumi giggled at this. "You're silly, Kitsune-san," she opined. "Shall we get out now?"

XXX

"Hey," Keitaro said suddenly, sitting up in the baths and glancing over at Ranma.

The martial artist looked back, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"You ever wonder if those scenes in anime where the girls in the bath feel each other up are true?"

Ranma looked at Keitaro oddly for a moment, and then paused to reconsider. "Well," he said slowly, looking off to one side, "I think that's probably something they make up for anime, really. I mean, I worked at a hot-springs resort for a while, and whenever I was working on the pump-house, or around the divider when the women were bathing, they never seemed to sound like it, anyway."

"Yeah, I guess it is a bit farfetched," Keitaro admitted.

"Why did you ask?"

Keitaro scratched his head and frowned. "I have no idea."

XXX

"February twenty fifth," Keitaro said solemnly, raising his head and gazing at the clock tower on the school's main building. "Today is the day."

"Isn't seven o'clock in the morning a bit early to get here?" Naru asked, rubbing at her eyes sleepily and shivering slightly in the chill.

"Better safe than sorry," Keitaro countered confidently.

Mutsumi nodded wordless agreement, and Ranma said nothing, still looking at the clock tower. "Well," he finally said. "I'm nervous about this. I know none of you have made it on your first try, and I'm worried I won't, either ... but I'm still going to give it my best shot."

"We all will!" Mutsumi encouraged. "I'm even going to remember to put my name on my test!"

Keitaro winced at that. "Um, well, we've got some time to spare, why don't we get some coffee before we go in?"

Naru nodded her swift agreement, and they turned to a stand where a bored looking attendant warmed himself from the heat of his mobile coffee bar. After getting their drinks, Keitaro pulled out his exam ticket, and said, "It looks like I'm going to be in the 'B' testing division, which is in room 105."

"I got 'B', too," Naru said, scanning her card. "Room 207."

"I have the same room!" Mutsumi chirped. "What about you, Ranma-kun?"

"Um..." After fishing his ticket from a pocket, Ranma studied it for a moment. "I'm in division 'C'. Looks like I registered later than you. I wonder what that 'division' means? Anyway, my room is 105, too."

"I think it means building, not group," Mutsumi opined, pointing to a large letter 'B' on the side of one of the buildings.

"Oh," Keitaro said, frowning slightly. "I guess we don't have a test in the same room after all."

"But we do," Naru said, glancing at Mutsumi's ticket. "Well, we should all meet up here after the test to go home together."

"Sounds good to me," Ranma said, walking over to a large map, and looking for the 'C' building.

"Okay," Naru said, once Ranma returned from the map. "Let's give ourselves one last cheer before we head to our testing rooms, alright?"

"Count me in," Keitaro enthused, pumping a fist in the air. "Let's hear it for the Ronin Quartet!"

"Ronin Quartet!" echoed Ranma and Mutsumi, while Naru covered her face with her hand.

"Must you all be so proud of it?" she complained. "And Oe, you're not even really a ronin!"

"But it's part of the name of my school," he countered with a grin. "Anyway, we're early, but I'm going to see if the room is open - give myself a little time to calm down before the test and get comfortable with the room."

"Well, fine, but before you go, let's try the cheer again," Naru sighed. "On three, okay? One, two, three!"

"Ronin Quartet!" they all cheered together. "Let's go!"

XXX

"I can do this," Keitaro muttered under his breath, looking at the test booklet before him. "I'm good enough. I can do this."

"No talking!" the man who had handed out the tests called.

Keitaro reflexively cringed, and looked up, but the man was looking elsewhere. It hadn't been him.

"Focus," he muttered even more quietly, turning his eyes back to the test booklet.

XXX

Ranma eyed the stack of unanswered questions before him. He'd been taught that if he couldn't answer something right away he should skip it, answering what he could and then going over everything a second time.

The only problem was, he'd left a good quarter of the questions unanswered already, and now it was time to go back over them. "Okay," he breathed to himself. "How would Aniki handle this?"

Grinning, he flipped back to the first question he had skipped.

XXX

Naru resolutely worked away, occasionally sparing a glance for Mutsumi, to make sure the other girl was still alright. So far, she was doing fine - Naru had risked getting in trouble enough to peek and make sure that Mutsumi had recorded her name.

But the one-time anemic was doing much better already, and Naru suspected answering questions more quickly than her. Well, no reason to rush.

Taking a deep, calming breath, she dove into the test again, tuning out the outside world.

XXX

As they had planned, the four met at the coffee stand, Naru and Mutsumi reaching it first, and Ranma arriving last. "Ugh," Keitaro groaned, once Ranma arrived. "It was brutal, but I feel confident."

"Me, too," Mutsumi said, nodding her agreement.

"It was tough," Naru admitted. "It seemed like it was harder than last year's ... but I feel better about my chances this time anyway."

Mutsumi nodded. "I remembered to put my name on it," she said. "I think I'll make it. How did you do, Ranma-kun?"

"I got stuck in a few places," he admitted. "And then I asked myself ... what would Aniki do? And I realized that Aniki already did it, and I can't do what he did ... so I found my own way. I think I did pretty well."

"I'm glad," Mutsumi said, taking Ranma's hand in her own. "Now let's go back ... home!"

Naru and Keitaro eyed the couple, Ranma obviously embarrassed, but not resistant to Mutsumi towing him down the street. "Wow," Keitaro said after a moment. "Mutsumi-chan sure seems happy."

"Yeah," Naru agreed. After a second of watching the couple recede in the distance, Naru snuck a quick glance around. There weren't too many witnesses ... so why not? Coughing quietly, she stuck her hand out a little, pointedly not looking at Keitaro.

He got the hint quickly enough, gently taking her hand in his. Naru turned to look at him and offered him a smile. Keitaro grinned back, blushing slightly. "I ... feel very positive about tomorrow," he said, finally.

Naru giggled, looking away, but not letting go. "Come on," she said after a moment, smiling at Keitaro again. "Let's go back home."

XXX

Once the group had managed to get back to the Hinata-Sou with no hands being held in sight of the other residents, they found themselves the guests of honor at an impromptu party. Suu had strung up a banner that said, "Congratulations on the birth of your new graduation!" Shinobu had made a veritable feast in terms of appetizers and then finished it all off with a massive main course.

Mutsumi and Ranma quickly found themselves in a drinking contest with Mitsune, despite Naru's warnings.

"Three bottles for me," Mitsune said in a nearly even tone, only the slightest hitch in her voice hinting as to her true intoxication.

"Matched," Ranma said, blinking a bit, and then squinting at Mitsune. "You know, it's not really fair that I'm competing against you and your sisters."

"I like this brand!" Mutsumi enthused. "I've finished five bottles."

Scowling, Mitsune and Ranma struggled to catch up.

Ranma raised a warning finger towards Mitsune and waggled it authoritatively. "Once I finish with you two," he admonished, "I'm going to challenge the four of her. Cause, Saotome Ranma doesn't lose."

"Sure he doesn't," Mitsune replied flippantly. Furrowing her brow in thought, she asked, "But who's he?"

"You don't know who he is?" Ranma asked indignantly, his eyes not quite focusing on Mitsune. "I'll tell you ... he's ... the worst son a mother ever had." Ranma frowned at this, something clearly wrong to him, though he didn't seem able to pinpoint it exactly. "Wait. No. He's ... the worst fiance a girl ever had," he slurred, his brows furrowed, as though dredging the answer out of a mire.

At this point, everyone had broken off their conversations to look at the martial artist, deep in his cups as he was.

"I don't know him," Mitsune finally replied, squinting at Ranma. "Is he cute?"

"Eh," Ranma grunted. "Too cute. People get the wrong idea all the time, and-"

"Ranma-kun," Mutsumi asked, taking his hand from the bottle of sake he was still holding, "can you do the light-show trick again?"

Blinking blearily at Mutsumi for a long minute, Ranma finally nodded, the now familiar blue-flames licking from his body, much brighter than they'd been before, enveloping himself and the one-time anemic girl.

When the light had faded, Ranma's bloodshot eyes closed heavily. "Damn," he said quietly. "I'm going to get some sleep. Test in the morning." And with that, he left the room.

Haruka made a thoughtful noise. "That's good advice," she said aloud. "Probably it's for the best not to stay up too late."

Keitaro and Naru looked at their still untouched glasses of sake and wordlessly pushed them across the table, trying to put more distance between themselves and the drink.

XXX

The next morning's meeting in front of the school was a bit more subdued, only Mutsumi as cheerful as ever. Situated next to a planter filled with flowers which had gone dormant for the winter was a billboard, outlining which classes were to be held in which buildings. In a loosely square formation, the Toudai-hopefuls stood, facing the towering entrance to the school itself.

Naru and Keitaro were both silent, looking between Mutsumi and a much more somber and tight-lipped Ranma. It was clear to both of them that something was bothering Ranma. It was as good as written across his face in large letters, especially after his drunken babbling the night before.

But he didn't seem to want to talk about it, and as far as the young would-be students saw things, it was difficult to make Ranma open up for anyone. Naru frowned at that, and then glanced at Keitaro thoughtfully. For his part, Keitaro blinked in confusion, looked behind him, and when he couldn't see anyone else immediately, turned back, blushing and trying to hide a smile.

Naru reflexively raised a fist to punch Keitaro, which he blinked at in surprise before she caught herself. "Hang on a moment," she said, breaking the silence. Her hand shot forward and latched onto the lobe of Keitaro's ear.

"Ouch!" he yelped, as Naru hauled him bodily away from Ranma and Mutsumi. For their part, Mutsumi seemed oblivious to the violence, only waving cheerfully. Ranma studied the billboard and its map of the school intently. "What's the big idea?" Keitaro protested, rubbing his ear with one hand once Naru released him.

"Look," she said, glancing back at Ranma and Mutsumi. "Oe's good at martial arts, but he's as bad with women as he is at math - and that makes him almost as hopeless as you, Keitaro."

"Ah," Keitaro said, nodding in understanding. "Hey, wait-"

"Oh, hush," Naru said, shooting Keitaro a cross look, before her features softened, and she turned back to watch Ranma and Mutsumi. "Anyway, it's our duty to help Oe and Otohime out. Right?"

"Um ... how?" Keitaro asked, scratching his head.

"Well ... I'm not entirely sure," Naru admitted. "But I'll think of something. So tonight, after the test, what we'll do is this. You'll pretend to feel sick, and not go to the party. I'll pretend to feel sorry for you. While everyone else is partying because the second day of testing is over, we'll come up with a plan to help Oe get together with Otohime!"

Keitaro stared at Naru for a long moment, and then shrugged. "Sure. I guess as pioneers, we need to help them follow along in our footsteps," he finally said.

"That's exactly right," Naru agreed, nodding. "And- Wait, did you just imply that-"

"We need to get back there before they catch on to our plotting," Keitaro added, stepping away from Naru, and marching back to Ranma and Mutsumi. "So, how do you two think you'll do on the test?" he asked, smiling brightly.

"I'm going to do great," Naru said, catching up to Keitaro and shooting him a dirty look.

"I still feel confident," Mutsumi said happily. "I think I'll make it."

"And you, Ranma?" Keitaro asked.

Ranma raised his head, looking away from the map, and met Keitaro's eyes. Naru wasn't sure, but she thought she saw the sheen of moisture from an unshed tear for a moment. "As long as I don't slip up, I think I'll be okay," he finally said.

"Um. Okay, let's give it our best!" Keitaro enthused. "Good luck, everyone. I know I'll need it!"

XXX

Keitaro hummed to himself as he walked into his testing room. Naru seemed to think it was up to himself and her to put Ranma and Mutsumi together as a couple ... as though they, the closer, more experienced couple needed to guide Ranma and Mutsumi along.

Smiling, he drifted off into a daydream...

XXX

Mutsumi and Naru were waiting by the time Ranma returned from his test, Mutsumi sitting on the bench-like edge of the planter and swinging her legs off the end idly. Naru was standing nearby, exchanging notes with the sitting girl. Both looked up, Mutsumi smiling brightly as Ranma approached, and Naru nodding acknowledgment. "Hey," he said, sitting down about a meter away from Mutsumi. "So, it's all over. How are you two feeling?"

"Pretty good," Mutsumi said, clasping her hands together. "How about you, Naru-chan?"

"Well, I was feeling okay," Naru said, frowning. "I wonder where Keitaro is, though. He should have gotten here first - his building is closest."

"They're done testing," Ranma reasoned, glancing at the building in question. "Why don't we see if he's still inside?"

"Good idea!" Mutsumi enthused, leaping to her feet. "Let's go!"

Nodding, Naru turned and led the way, Ranma and Mutsumi not far behind. "I bet he knocked over the stack of tests," Naru said after a moment. "So now the teacher is making him pick them all up."

"Could be," Ranma said, as they stepped through the door and beheld a completely empty classroom. The massive auditorium-like room had desks in tiers arrayed outwards from a podium like ripples in water. It could have held at least a hundred students comfortably, but there were none. "Then again," he added, glancing around, "maybe not."

"Wait," Naru said, frowning. "Where's Keitaro?"

"He's missing!" Mutsumi said brightly.

Naru grimaced, and glanced across the desks, looking for some note or sign, but there was nothing to be found. "Where would he have gone after the test, though?" she asked, looking around again.

"He might have finished early," Mutsumi suggested.

Ranma, meanwhile, was busy pulling out chairs and glancing beneath desks. "It could be," Naru admitted. "But I think he'd still wait for us. Oe, what are you doing?"

"Looking for his- Here they are. His footprints. My wife taught me how to track people really well," he explained, eyes tracking the footsteps that no one else could see all the way to the door. "I don't know what's going on, exactly, but I can find him. You two head home, and I'll see where this leads."

"Why don't we just stick with you?" Naru asked, raising an eyebrow. "We're curious too."

"He might be in the men's bathroom," Ranma said. "Or already be on his way back to the inn."

"But ... you don't think that's the case, do you?" Mutsumi asked, fixing her eyes on Ranma.

Ranma straightened from his inspection of the floor and gave Mutsumi an apologetic look. "He was running when he left," he said quietly. "I don't know why. But Keitaro's my friend. If he's in trouble, or in danger, I'm going to help him out. And if it's just a false alarm, then no reason to make him feel bad for having everyone chase after him."

"We're going with you," Naru said, trying to step forward, but being held back by Mutsumi. "Mutsumi-chan?"

Mutsumi smiled sadly, and shook her head. "Ranma is much faster without us," she said. "And I'm sure he'll tell us as soon as he finds anything out."

Ranma nodded.

Naru could feel tears welling up in her eyes ... she wasn't certain how, or why, but she knew that something was wrong.

And as little as she wanted to admit it, Ranma and Mutsumi were both right. "Good luck, then, Oe," she said, her voice thickening with tears.

And then Ranma nodded to the girls. "I'll call the inn as soon as I find out what's going on."

They both nodded back, and he turned away, towards the hallway, following the traces only he and a few others could ever know to look for.  


* * *

Author's notes: Beware subtle changes in tone. (FORESHADOWING.) 


	16. Trouble in Paradise

The port was quiet, even in the afternoon, only the sounds of the sea lapping against the pier and the occasional gull's cry reached across the docks. Ranma rose, seeing where the trail of footsteps faded, and then vanished.

"Well, either he went for a swim, or there was a boat here," he murmured to himself. "But where was it headed?"

At the loud blasting of a foghorn, Ranma turned, catching sight of the sign on the pier. "South Seas Cruises, eh?" he mused. "Why the hell would he go on a cruise now of all times?"

Something was definitely wrong and he was going to find out what was happening to Keitaro. Just as soon as he figured out how to track a boat.

"This ... is going to suck," he sighed.  


* * *

Diamonds in the Rough - Chapter Fifteen - Trouble in Paradise

Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine. That's all.  


* * *

After obtaining a record of the ship that Keitaro had presumably left on, Ranma found another vessel headed in the same direction. Hopefully it would be faster than a pleasure cruise and he could catch up to the wandering Toudai examinee in another port.

But first ... he had to call back to the inn. "Hello?" he heard, as a young girl answered, her voice sounding smaller and more worried than usual across the pay phone's connection. "This is Hinata-Sou, Shinobu speaking. How may I help you?"

"Shinobu-chan - this is Ranma. Is Naru-"

"Hello? Hello? Where is he?" Naru suddenly shouted into the receiver. Ranma winced and drew the phone away from his ear until she had finished.

"It looks like he got on a boat headed south," Ranma answered. "I, uh, don't know why."

"Well, wait there - I'm going after him," Naru replied. "Do you know which bus route I should use to reach the port fastest?"

"Calm down," Ranma said, shaking his head. "Look, Keitaro's not a complete idiot; he probably just panicked. That means he's going to call home at some point and tell us where he is - I think you should be there to make sure he's got someone to talk to when he does."

"Don't tell me what to do, Ranma, this is Keitaro we're worried about! He'll get himself killed inside of ten minutes. I'm sure he'll barely clear the harbor before he manages to fall overboard!"

Ranma snorted and surveyed the port quickly. His ship was making ready to depart and he doubted they'd hesitate to leave him behind if he took too long. "Naru, look, I'm already here and cruises are expensive. I got a temp job working on a ship that's headed in the same direction. I'm going to try to beat him to the port he's headed to and catch up. Unless you want to get a job like me, hauling in fish, or you can afford a cruise, you should probably wait there."

There was a long pause, with nothing but the sound of Naru's worried breathing. "Oh," she finally said, in a somehow ... defeated tone.

He winced at the sound of the girl's sniffling whimper. Sighing, he shook his head again. "Look ... I'm going to keep in touch. As soon as I make port, I'll update you on what's happening and if I've found him. If I catch up to him before he contacts you, I'll haul him back. If he calls first, I need you to tell me where he is when I check in with you."

"I... Okay. Do you at least know where his cruise was heading?" Naru asked.

Once more, Ranma shook his head, forgetting she wouldn't be able to see the gesture. "The ship makes port in five places. The closest port is some island called Pararakelse. Look, I have to go now - my ship's leaving," Ranma said, as one of the sailors on the ship called to him and the gangplank retracted onto the ship.

"Wait! Um ... before you go, did you want me to say anything to Mutsumi?" Naru asked.

Ranma flinched away from the phone, but paused. "Um. Tell her I said ... good luck, and I hope she's still here when I get back. Gotta go!" With that, he hung up, dashing down the pier and leaping onto the small fishing vessel he was to be working on. "Sorry," he called, as the gap between the pier and the ship widened behind him.

The captain - an ancient man who looked to be carved from tanned and roughened leather - raised an eyebrow at Ranma. "Quite a leap, kid. I thought for sure ye'd spend too long talking to yer girlfriend," he said around the pipe he clenched in his teeth.

"Hey, she wasn't my-" Ranma began, before shrugging. "Er. Right. I'm sorry about that. Um ... what do you need me to do?"

"Thar be rope to coil, lad. We be hunting the elusive albacore tuna, and we best be ready," the captain replied. "They be a feisty fish!"

"Boss, can I ask why we're going to Pararakelse if we're going to just be catching tuna?" Ranma queried.

The captain looked nervous and then sighed, hanging his head in defeat. "Okay, you got me. I play the part of a fisherman 'cause my wife gets a kick out of it. I actually run bananas between that island and Sasebo. Then I buy a cargo of tuna with the profits and my wife is none the wiser. I can't fish to save my life."

Ranma stared at the man blankly for a long minute. "Okay," he finally said. "So, uh, what do you want me to do?"

"Look busy coiling the rope! She can't hear us, but I know she's watching from the pier with her binoculars. Once we're out to sea you can relax until we make make port. Then I'll need you to help load up crates of bananas."

Shrugging to himself, Ranma walked to one of the other sailors and set to work winding rope into neat piles.

XXX

Keitaro gazed into the sea sorrowfully, searching the depths of its mystery for answers. How could he choke up like that at the end of the test? He was so close! And then to be caught in a daydream and just ... miss it?

"I'm an idiot," he mumbled. "I deserve to be stranded with the arctic wolves. And polar bears. And penguins."

He sighed, pulling his winter jacket about himself more tightly ... though, it did seem oddly warm. And come to think of it, most of the couples on board were wearing light summer clothes. Since when was northern Alaska a getaway for couples, anyway?

"Waaaait a minute," he said, realization drawing on him.

Running up to the English-speaking crewman who'd originally helped him aboard, he asked, "Popeye! Where is this ship headed?"

The burly sailor turned and smiled widely. In English he said, "You enjoy your cruise, okay?"

Keitaro blinked, thinking for a moment to translate, and asked in English, "Is this ship headed south?"

"Of course! You'll love the beaches - and since you're alone, there's a lot of single ladies here just looking for someone to spend time with!" the sailor assured him.

"Guh," Keitaro replied, falling to his knees. "Man. I can't even get this right!" he muttered. Hauling himself upright and nodding at the large sailor, he added, "Um, thanks."

The man nodded back at Keitaro without speaking.

Sighing, Keitaro walked away, stopping at the railing and thrusting his hands into his pockets. "What's this?" he mused, pulling his photo sticker book and his exam ticket stub from his jacket. His eyes narrowed at the stub. "Stupid waste," he grumbled, tucking it into the book and then flinging it overboard.

"Wait, what was I thinking?" Keitaro berated himself, leaping after the articles with martial skill and deftly snatching them from the air. "Hah!" Then he looked down. "WHY ME?"

After he managed to claw his way to the surface, the ship was already out of earshot. "Oh, no," he groaned.

XXX

In retrospect, Ranma thought to herself, she should have tried to book passage as her female self. There was usually a kettle of hot water in the ship's galley, but that was the only source of hot water on the ship and it was never left unattended.

Once they were far enough out at sea that Ranma was relatively sure they'd hesitate to turn back, she'd gotten splashed. Not intentionally, but at sea, it was bound to happen. She sighed, hanging onto the railing and glancing back over her shoulder. Maybe if she was lucky...

Every single member of the crew was on the deck at that moment, and they all stared directly at her.

So much for luck. "Um," she said slowly, "I ... can explain everything." Why hadn't she thought to plan for this contingency, anyway? Jusenkyou made it an inevitability.

"I'm hoping so," one of the sailors said, wide-eyed. "I don't want to get splashed and then have to convince my girlfriend to become a lesbian!" Another sailor blinked and turned to look overboard thoughtfully.

Ranma winced. "Er," she managed. "Well, I, uh, was always really a girl. I just disguised myself as a boy." That sounded reasonable.

"Uh ... why?" another crewman asked curiously.

She frowned. Why couldn't they ask an easy question? "W...well," she said slowly, sticking with the truth for the moment, "I'm ... looking for this guy..."

"Oh," the crewmen said in a single voice, nodding knowingly.

"Young love," the captain said, smiling fondly, prompting Ranma to twitch. Keitaro was going to pay for this. "Well, okay then, girl. What's your name?"

"Ranma," she replied reflexively.

"Okay," another crewman said, nodding. "Even though you won't be able to move crates of bananas, you're still part of the crew."

"Why wouldn't I be able to move crates?" she asked indignantly.

"Er, well... When we get to the island, aren't you going to be busy looking for your boyfriend?"

She made a mental note to pray for long hours that the story never got back to the inn. "Yeah," she said, nodding. "Good point."

"Okay, then," the captain said, nodding. "You can take over in the galley and stay on with the crew." After a moment, he added, "If we took you back now, I'd probably get caught by my wife anyway."

XXX

Sighing, Ranma rubbed the back of her neck and checked the pot on the stove, careful not to fill it too high. The seas were relatively calm, but the boat still rolled across the surface. "How much longer to the island?" she asked, as one of the sailors poked his head in and sniffed at the air.

"Oh, um, we've got another day," the sailor replied. "Is lunch ready?"

"In about fifteen minutes," Ranma replied, checking the kettle and making sure it was still hot enough for tea. "Can you tell the other men to wash up?"

"Right," the sailor grunted, turning around and vanishing from the doorway.

Sighing again, the redhead ran her fingers through her hair. "Keitaro, you'd better have a good explanation for this when I find you," she muttered to herself. "What am I getting into?"

XXX

Keitaro felt sluggish and fevered, as though a great, warm weight was being pressed onto him. "Ugh," he groaned. "What's going on?"

"Keitaro," a giggling, effeminate voice called. "Keitaro!"

"Who ... Naru? Is that you?" he asked, struggling to see what was about him. From the formless black that filled his vision, he saw her, a speck of white light drawing closer from a long distance away. "What ... what's going on?"

"Keitaro! Listen to me, you need to do me a favor, okay?" Naru said, as she drew closer and wrapped her arms around Keitaro's body.

"W...what?" he asked, bewildered. "But ... I failed! I blew the test - and this was my last chance at it, too! What do you want with me?"

"Pay attention!" Naru chastised him. "Open your eyes, Keitaro. You can't give up here, or I _really_ won't forgive you!"

"Huh?" Keitaro asked, before coming to his senses. His eyes were fogged, his glasses loose. It was dark and he couldn't breathe. Naru's arms weren't arms at all - they were fronds of kelp he'd gotten wrapped up in.

Fighting off the lethargy that seemed to sap his limbs of strength, he swam upwards, clawing his way to the surface again. The seaweed let go as he moved, and in seconds he breached the surface, gasping for breath.

The sun glittered overhead, though he could see no land or boats immediately around him.

"Damn," he swore dizzily, trying to get his bearings. "Think, Keitaro. Think. Okay. Kelp is seaweed. It grows on the ocean floor. So I'm probably near land, or at least some kind of reef." Treading water, he turned around in place, until he spotted something on the horizon that looked promising.

"Just a few miles away," he said grimly. "Oh, boy." It took a long moment for his survival instincts to kick in - Seta had told him a story of a time the man himself had been stranded at sea and gave instructions on how to survive. First things first, he needed to lose the coat and shoes.

After kicking them off and dropping his heavy winter jacket, swimming became a bit easier. Holding his breath, Keitaro next pulled off his pants, tying the ends of the legs in knots and shortly working it into a makeshift float. He doubted it would last for more than a few minutes, but a few minutes he could use to catch his breath could mean the difference between life and death.

Resting on his float, he began paddling towards land. "Idiot," he chastised himself. "And I even lost the stupid book I jumped after."

Then he shook his head again. He needed to save his breath for swimming; if he lived, there would be plenty of time for self-recrimination later.

As he swam, to his dismay, the kelp fronds beneath him drew away and the ocean deepened into mysterious blackness. Apparently he'd drifted over some sort of underwater rise ... but still, he was sure now that the spot on the horizon he was headed towards was land, even if it was further than he hoped.

"At least," he panted, forgetting his resolve to remain quiet, "it can't ... get any ... worse!"

It was at that point that the wind began to pick up, and Keitaro looked behind himself anxiously. A towering wall of dark storm clouds was rolling towards him on a fierce wind, and he could see lightning flash within its depths.

"At least now it really can't get any worse," he thought to himself grimly.

And that was when the first of the dorsal fins began to pierce the surface, circling him at a distance of about twenty meters.

XXX

"A bit taller than me, about, um, this high," the redhead said, holding a hand up to indicate height. "Maybe not quite that tall if he's slouching. Wears glasses, black hair, kind of unruly but not very long. Ring any bells?"

The burly man in the sailor's costume rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Doesn't seem familiar," he said after a moment, in halting Japanese. "Sorry, Miss."

"Do you have a list of the passenger's names?" she asked hopefully. "You don't need to show it to me, just tell me if his name is on it."

"Alright," the sailor agreed. He produced a list and scanned it, before frowning in dismay. "I ... can't read this." Shrugging, he offered the list to Ranma, who quickly grabbed it and glanced over it for Keitaro's name.

"There," she said, pointing at his name. "He was on this ship. Is he still aboard?"

The sailor took the list back and glanced at what was indecipherable gibberish next to it. At least, it was indecipherable to Ranma. "Oh! I remember him. He did not get off the ship here," he said cheerfully. "I will ask the crew to look for him."

Ranma nodded, as the sailor walked back up the ramp to the cruise vessel and made some inquiries. When the ship's loudspeaker paged Keitaro, she was certain he'd be found ... but the minutes stretched into an hour before the sailor returned, his face pale. "Sorry," he said. "Your friend ... must have fallen overboard. We haven't seen him aboard since before we made port."

The redhead massaged the temple on the right side of her face, shaking her head. "Keitaro can't be dead," she growled, trying not to remember what Naru had said about him falling overboard. "He's too resilient. And he's got some martial training. If he's kept his wits about him, he should be okay."

The sailor made a curious noise, which Ranma distantly identified as a question in English.

"Uh, no, I'm fine," she said, lowering her hand. "I need to find someone with maps of the sea around here. If I can figure out where he fell overboard, we can try and see where the current would take him." This sounded reasonable to Ranma, but she'd never actually tried to read a nautical chart, and from what she'd seen aboard the ship earlier, it wasn't going to be an easy task.

"Try the port authority," the sailor said, pointing back to a large building.

"Sounds authoritative," Ranma agreed, shrugging. "Thanks for the help."

The sailor nodded and called back, "Good luck!" as Ranma strolled away.

"Great," she muttered. "How am I going to tell Naru about this?"

As she drew near the vessel she'd arrived on, the crew waved to her, just finishing loading up their cargo of bananas. "So," the captain said, nodding to her. "Did the outfit we got you help you catch your man?"

Ranma resisted the urge to grit her teeth and instead smiled wanly. "He fell overboard on the way here," she replied. Stupid dress. Stupid heels. Stupid feminine undergarments. And, just for the heck of it, stupid Keitaro. She lowered her head and sighed. "I'm not giving up hope. But I won't be going back with you. I need to try and find him. I can't go back until I do. One way or another."

The crew paled at her announcement. "Oh," the captain said softly. "I'm ... so sorry. I understand then. Good luck, Ranma-chan. And ... if you need help, let me know. When you're ready to go back to Japan, you've got a vessel that'll welcome you aboard at any time."

"Thanks," Ranma said, smiling. "That means a lot to me. I hope I'll see you around."

The sailors all waved quietly as she turned away and started heading towards the port authority.

XXX

The phone was answered before the first ring was even complete. Ranma closed his eyes and sighed in resignation. "Hello, this is Naru, at the Hinata-Sou. Who is this?"

"Naru ... this is Ranma."

"You made it to port alright?" Naru asked anxiously. "Have you found Keitaro? I managed to get a hold of the company he took a cruise with - Haruka did, really, since she's his aunt. We have his passenger number if you-"

"Naru," Ranma said quietly. "I want you to sit down and take a deep breath, okay?"

"O...okay," Naru said. "What's going on? What happened?"

"I found the ship he was on, and-"

"Something happened? He got food poisoning? Is he in the hospital right now?"

"Calm down! Look ... the ship's crew remembered him boarding. And they do checks every so often to make sure all of their passengers are there. Keitaro ... went overboard before he made it to the island."

Ranma winced at the telltale thud of Naru sitting heavily on the floor, followed by a crack as she dropped the receiver.

He heard her fumble for the phone and then quietly say, "I see."

"I think ... Keitaro probably survived. I mean, he's not entirely hopeless. And he's got some martial training. There's a storm coming in right now, so they're closing down the harbor - I can't get out to look for him yet."

"Oh," Naru said, her voice sounding even more distant.

In the background he could hear someone, Suu, he thought, ask, "Naru? What's going on?"

"I'm going to try and get someone to help me figure out where he would have fallen overboard and where the current would have carried him. He could be clear of the storm, or he might have washed up on shore on one of the other islands around here. There's dozens of them, so I think he's got a very good chance of being okay."

"You do?" Naru asked, desperation in her voice. "He could still be okay?"

"Naru?" he heard across the phone from the background again.

"I do. Look, I'm going to stay here until I find him. I'm not giving up hope yet, and neither should you, alright?"

"Okay. I understand," Naru said. "Is ... there anything I can do to help?"

"I hate to ask this, but ... I'm kind of ... broke. Could you wire me enough for another calling card? This one's almost out, and I'll want to keep you updated."

"What? Well, where should I send it?"

"The Japanese Embassy, if you can. Otherwise, well, I'll figure something out. Anyway. I've got navigation charts to get analyzed, so I'll catch up with you once I know more, okay?"

"In that case, I'm going to come to Pararakelse. You left your things behind, anyway."

Ranma opened his mouth to object, but froze before he actually spoke. Why not? It wasn't likely to be dangerous, just reviewing charts. And even if it were, as close as Naru and Keitaro had been, what right did he have to deny her? "Okay. That sounds like a plan, then. I'll see you when you get here - since I don't know your ship yet and there's no way for you to call me, just leave a message at the port authority," he said.

"Okay," Naru said. "I'll see you soo-"

The call was suddenly interrupted by a recorded voice, announcing, "Your calling card minutes have all been us-"

"Bah," Ranma grumped, hanging up the phone before listening to the entire recording. "Now to survive until she gets here with only one change of clothes and pretty much no money." He glanced at the outfit he'd folded away into a plastic bag. "Hmm."

XXX

"YeeeeeeaAAAAAAH!" Keitaro yelped, clinging on to the dorsal fin of one of the dolphins that had seen fit to rescue him from his predicament. "Wow! You guys are awesome!"

The storm was right behind them, but the dolphins refused to abandon Keitaro, and when one grew tired of hauling him along, it would simply dive and another would take its place.

"I'm gonna be a good person from now on, I swear," he promised. "No more failing tests. No more goofing off. I've been given a second chance, and I feel alive!"

Even better, the land was drawing nearer. What Keitaro had seen in the distance was not a distant outcropping of rock, as he'd originally thought. It was a small peak on a much larger island. From here he could see the green of what would be trees, though the sun was setting and the storm was closing in.

He still couldn't make out much in the way of details, but even if the island were uninhabited, he should be able to find ... well ... something to eat. "Island hermit," he mused to himself. "I could make a career out of that."

The dolphin below him chittered suddenly and dove, leaving Keitaro to flounder. "What? Huh? Oh, I'm close to land, eh?" he asked the dolphin, as it resurfaced nearby.

It seemed to nod at him.

"Well, I should be fine from here," Keitaro reasoned, starting to swim towards shore again. "Thanks, my friends! I'll never forget this!"

The dolphins all leapt from the water, flipping end over end before diving beneath the waves and vanishing from sight. "I was rescued by a pod of eight dolphins," he muttered to himself, after counting them. "Now that'll make an awesome story."

Not, he supposed after thinking about it, that an island hermit would tell a lot of stories, except perhaps to himself.

He paddled his way towards the beach, which was just coming into sight when the storm reached him. The rain reached him, pounding hard and accompanied by powerful winds, waves rising higher and more violently than before. "No! Not when I'm this close!" he yelped, as a massive wave crashed down on him, shoving him beneath the surface of the water.

And then a current gripped him, clawing and hauling him down and away from the shore. In a panic, he tried to fight it, only to get slammed into a boulder on the bottom of the sea. He clung to the boulder, hoping the current would pass and he could fight his way to the surface for air.

But if anything, the current increased, to the point where he could feel his boulder rocking back and forth, threatening to pry his grip from it. "No," he gasped, hauling in a desperate breath of ... air? "Huh?"

He glanced down to see that his 'boulder' was actually a huge turtle, swimming into the shore against the storm's current. "Lucked out again," he wheezed, clinging to the turtle gratefully. The rain had been so intense, he'd managed to not even notice he had breached the surface on turtle-back.

"My awesome failing powers come in handy," Keitaro coughed. "Messed up the entrance exam ... to a watery grave."

Within minutes, he'd made land and staggered into the jungle a few steps before passing out.

XXX

"So, that area's an undersea rise. Essentially, a very small dead-zone for ocean currents. Whatever was there, would stay there," the man across the table from Ranma explained. "Anywhere nearby, or if he swam to the edge of it ... it depends on which direction he went. East, and the current would move him further out to sea. West or south, and it'd sweep him near land somewhere along the east coast of the island."

"Well, that gives him good odds," Ranma mused, studying the charts. "And if he'd gone north?"

"Coral reef. The current is still dead there, but cruises often have people snorkel, so they'd probably spot him," the man explained.

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Things are starting to sound hopeful," he said. "Well, it looks like I've got an idea of where to look for him. If I have any more questions about currents, I'll come back and visit later."

"Any time," the man said, nodding.

Ranma rose from his seat and headed through the doorway, blinking when he nearly walked into Naru. The girl looked harried and worn, as though she hadn't rested in days.

"Um. Naru?" Ranma hazarded. "You okay?"

"Just ... tired ... from carrying ... your backpack," she gasped, letting it slide from her shoulders and crash to the floor with a resounding thud. "Sheesh, what do you have packed in there, anyway?"

"Almost everything I own," Ranma replied. "Say, since you're here, why don't we get something to drink? I'll tell you what I've found out while you recover your strength a bit. There's a cafe nearby ... I've got a part time night-job there waiting tables."

"Ah!" the man behind the table said. "You get to work with that new redheaded cutie?"

"Uh ... yeah," Ranma said, shifting his shoulders uncomfortably and then hefting his backpack from the floor. "Anyway, thanks again."

"Oh, any time, like I said," the man said, as Ranma and Naru left the port authority.

"So, what do we know?" Naru asked, already seeming to have recovered some of her strength.

"Well," Ranma said, looking down the steps from the entrance to the port authority. "The way the guy in there explained it, there's basically two currents that Keitaro could have gotten into. I don't think if he was washed overboard he would just sit there, so the big question is which way he went. From some spots in the area we think he went overboard, you can see this island, so I expect he'd head towards it. But from others, you can't, so I'm not so sure.

"Basically, if he went north, he was probably picked up by snorkelers from a cruise ship. If he went west, or south, he's going to have ended up south and east of here, on the island."

"And if he went east?" Naru prompted.

"Well ... if that happened, he'll have ended up washed further out to sea," Ranma said glumly. "But generally speaking, assuming he didn't see land, he's got a three in four chance of survival. If he did see land, then I'm positive he'll have hit the right current."

"That ... doesn't mean he survived," Naru said grimly.

"And it doesn't mean he didn't," Ranma said gently, guiding Naru to a seat at the outdoor cafe. "Uh ... wait here a second. I'll be right out. Need to change really quickly."

Naru nodded, her eyes distant and her brow furrowed in thought.

After a quick trip to the bathroom, a splash of water, and a change of clothes, Ranma emerged and approached the counter. "Hey, Boss," she said.

The man behind the counter nodded, washing out a coffee cup with a wet rag. "What's going on, Ranma?" he asked.

"Ah, not much. I might be heading out for a bit in a day or two, just wanted to give you a heads-up. Also, can I get two ice cream parfaits?" she asked, smiling hopefully.

The man snorted. "Yeah, you get one complimentary drink a day, and you didn't get yesterday's. I'll let it go this time. Have a seat, I'll bring them to you."

"Thanks, Boss! You're the greatest!" Ranma said, smiling and batting her eyelashes.

The man blushed and bowed his head. Ranma returned to Naru's table and seated herself opposite the other girl. "Anyway," Ranma said, tapping one finger on the table thoughtfully.

Naru managed a smile at Ranma. "You're wearing girly clothes," she said, pointing. Ranma glanced down at the red Chinese dress and matching high heels.

"And you're wearing pants," Ranma replied. "It's... I had no spare changes of clothes. The sailors I came into port with thought that I was a girl because as it turns out, there's a lot of cold water in the ocean. Not a lot of hot water. They thought they were doing me a favor and picked this outfit up for me." She frowned and added, "You know, my wife wore dresses like this all the time."

"They've got nice taste," Naru said, smirking. "She did too; it looks good on you."

"It landed me a job here," Ranma said, shrugging as her boss set a parfait before each of the pair. "Thanks, Boss!"

"Don't mention it," he said, winking as he made his way back behind the cafe's bar.

Sobering, Naru took a spoonful of her parfait before saying, "So, we need a plan of action. Ask the snorkelers, and then check the beach, right? How big is the beach, anyway?"

"It's about fifty miles long before it gets to some cliffs, according to the maps. The island's bigger east-to-west than north-to-south," Ranma replied. "The beach is easy - if he's been there, I should be able to track him. As long as the storm didn't wash his footprints away."

"Okay. Then I'll stay here and post some missing persons pictures around - I brought some with me, just in case," Naru explained, pulling them from her own duffel bag.

"Good thinking," Ranma said, nodding. "You could also check with the cruises, and people in town. I guess that means I'll be giving up the job here to check out the beach."

"Quitting?" Ranma's boss called from behind the counter. "You can't quit! Without a cute waitress, I'll get no business!"

Ranma blinked, and then stared at the man in alarm. "How sharp is your hearing, anyway?" she murmured.

"Plenty sharp when it's about losing an employee, even a part-timer," he said, frowning. "Do you need a raise? Because if you do I-"

"Actually, can I have his job?" Naru asked, looking at the proprietor. "I'm going to need to be in town for a few days, and a way to earn a bit of money while I'm staying here would help."

"What do you mean 'his'?" the man asked quizzically. "Well, if you want the job and Ranma won't be here, you're plenty cute, too."

Naru smiled cautiously at that. "Um ... just so you don't get the wrong idea, we're both here looking for this one guy, and-"

The man let out a low whistle. "That's one lucky dog," he said, shaking his head. "Say no more. As long as I can keep one of you here for a while, I've got nothing to complain about."

"Thanks," Naru said, smiling brightly, and without reservation. "Can I put up a picture of the guy we're looking for at the cafe?"

"Oh, sure thing. There's a bulletin board there with public events and the like. Feel free," the man said dismissively, gesturing to the marquee in front of the cafe.

"Okay. You should get a room at the hotel down the street and rest after your flight. I'm going to work here tonight and head out to see the beaches tomorrow morning," Ranma decided.

"Where will you be staying?" Naru asked.

Ranma shrugged and pointed to her backpack. "It's a bit of a hike, and if I find him, I doubt he can keep up with me the entire way. I've got a tent and some other gear, so I'll be back in two days, three at the most. There's another village at the opposite end of the coast, so I'll give you a call at the hotel once I get there - unless I find him before I get that far and it's faster to come back here," Ranma explained.

"Where will you stay tonight, though?" Naru asked.

Ranma grimaced. "I haven't slept since I got here, but I'm doing fine so far."

"Oe ... thank you for trying to find Keitaro," Naru said quietly, after a few spoonfuls of her parfait. "You sure are putting a lot of work into this."

"Well, Keitaro's my friend," Ranma replied. She moodily sampled some of her own parfait, and then added, "And ... you are too, Naru. So I'm worried about him. And I really want to know why he ran away."

Naru nodded wordlessly in agreement.

XXX

"Ah," Keitaro sighed, relaxing next to the warmth of the fire. If he hadn't been found by Seta, unconscious on the jungle floor, he had no idea what would have happened to him. "That was delicious, Seta!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," the man said, laughing. "The way you ate, I thought you were your friend for a while!"

"My friend?" Keitaro asked, scratching the back of his head and looking out at the dark sea, stars glinting overhead. "Oh, you mean Ranma."

"Yes," Seta agreed. "Now, Keitaro, what the heck are you doing out here? It's exam season right now. Shouldn't you be waiting for your test results?"

Keitaro sighed, the joy of surviving his trial diminishing at the memory of what he was running from. "I ... don't need to wait to know how I did," he said quietly.

"Hmm, running away from the problem?" Seta asked.

Keitaro cringed and admitted, "Yeah ... I am."

"Hey, that's how I deal with most of my problems! You can hide out with me - I could use someone to back me up on my dig!" Seta enthused, pounding Keitaro on the back.

"Well, I ... I guess, I could help," Keitaro agreed, slightly dazed with the force of Seta's friendly gesture. "But, um ... where will we be going?"

"Oh, just around the island. There's a dig site I'm looking for ... an old partner of mine said he found something here once. But then he vanished and I never heard from him again. I decided I was finally ready to start looking for what he left behind, but when I got here, well..." The man trailed off and took a puff from his cigarette contemplatively. "As it turns out, desert bandits keep me from hiring any help. No one else is willing to risk them."

"Desert bandits?" Keitaro asked incredulously. "They have those here?"

"Eh ... yeah," Seta said, nodding. "See, apparently a few years ago, there was a caravan that used to cross the desert pretty regularly. The west side of the island is mostly desert, and the west coast has no port. There's a few spots where a ship could harbor, though. So, this gang of smugglers would send people on this caravan across the desert to ships on the far side, and they'd skip customs."

"Okay," Keitaro said, frowning. "I'm guessing the bandits are people who attacked the caravan?"

"Well, not exactly. See, once the local government found out what was being smuggled, they declared all of the smugglers would be exiled from the cities until they agree to make restitution for the taxes they owe, and they've been hiding in the desert to avoid the law. Because no sane man will enter the desert, the smugglers can all hide there, and they prey on tourists that wander too far from the jungle."

"Right," Keitaro said, frowning as he considered this. "So, what were they smuggling?"

"I won't lie to you, Keitaro," Seta said, flicking his cigarette into the fire and turning very solemn. "They were smuggling bananas. And nature has yet to invent a creature that fights as fiercely as a cornered banana smuggler."

Keitaro was about to laugh when he suddenly thought of Suu. "Oh," he said quietly, instead. "So, what do you want me to do if I help you out, then?"

"Dig, mostly," Seta said, shrugging. "The vast majority of the banana-bandits have turned themselves in because desert life is hard. I don't think we'll run into any of them, but it'll be good to have backup, just in case we do. You've been training under Ranma, right? You can practice with me, too."

Keitaro considered, and decided, "Well, I guess there's no problem with that. I don't have anywhere else to go. At least if I can earn my way I won't feel bad about it."

"Oh, I'll pay you," Seta said. "Just, well, not much. Same as last time, actually."

Keitaro chuckled. "That's fine," he said, shaking his head. "So, what's our plan, then?"

"Tomorrow we should head into town to pick up some supplies," Seta answered. "Then we'll head into the desert."

"Okay," Keitaro agreed.

"Excellent!" Seta cheered, gripping Keitaro's hand firmly and shaking it. "You won't regret this!" More quietly, he added, "I hope."

"What was that, Seta?" Keitaro asked, after his hand was released.

"Nothing! Let's get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be a big day!"

XXX

After finishing a shift at the cafe and picking up a handful of the local currency, Ranma headed south along the beach. About a mile away from the town, he stopped and set up camp. If Keitaro had landed in that stretch of beach, he'd have seen the town and gone there, he was sure.

An uneventful night passed, Ranma catching up on some much needed sleep before trekking along the shore not long after dawn. In the light of the rising sun, it was easy to see a multitude of footprints. But all of them seemed to lead from the town and then back; he was looking for a set that came from the ocean and lead to ... well ... Keitaro.

It was shortly after noon when Ranma found what he was looking for. Footprints from the sea could have belonged to anyone, but the exam ticket and page from a photo-sticker-book that had washed ashore next to them ... those were uniquely Keitaro's. The footprints led to a campground, though someone had thrown dirt over the fire pit. From there, a line of smashed down trees and tire-tracks lead to a road, turning north, back towards town.

"Huh," Ranma mused, rubbing his chin as he studied the camp. "This is getting ... weird."

XXX

Keitaro looked around the town. It was pretty big, especially for an island he had originally planned to become a hermit on. "Hmm," he mused, glancing over a bulletin board with various fliers on it. "Wanted: assistant for excavation in the desert." He chuckled, then raised an eyebrow. The bottom edge of the sheet was cut into little strips with instructions to leave messages for Seta with the local chapter of the Archeologist's Guild.

Keitaro had never heard of such a thing, but supposed that it must exist, and would explain how Seta was able to access sites in so many other countries easily. The curious thing was that someone had pulled one of the tabs off, to take it with them. That might mean that he and Seta would have someone else to help them out on the dig.

Nodding to himself, he perused the board further, pausing when he found a mirror. Why would someone put a mirror on a bulletin board? And then scribble, "Missing person: Contact Narusegawa Naru at 'Pararakelse North Hotel' with information if found," on it?

He blinked again, and his eyes widened. "Oh, no!" he whimpered, turning around and running full-speed back to Seta's van.

He slid to a halt on the gravel before the van only to see Seta talking to ... Shinobu? Bowing his head, Keitaro sighed. He'd been caught for sure, now. He had no idea how Naru had known to look for him in such a remote location, but if they'd gone so far as to bring Shinobu with them, he'd probably best turn himself in and explain that he was going to stay with Seta due to his failure.

Then the girl turned around, and Keitaro blinked. That girl had too much of a tan to be Shinobu. After heaving a quiet sigh of relief, Keitaro asked, "Seta, how quickly will we be ready to head outside of town?"

Seta looked up. "Well, we were actually just about to go looking for you, Keitaro. Did you want to use the Guild's fax machine to send a message home before we leave?"

Keitaro was about to say "no," but then caught himself. "Yeah, I should do that," he said, nodding. He glanced at the square, nondescript looking building Seta had parked in front of. "Is this it?"

"Yep! Just go inside and tell them you're my assistant."

Keitaro nodded again. "Thanks - I'll only be a minute."

XXX

Mitsune regarded the new fax warily. "This is interesting," she mused.

"What's that, Kitsune?" Motoko asked, walking into the living room from the kitchen, where Shinobu was working on the evening meal.

"We, uh, got a fax. From Keitaro," Mitsune replied, waving the paper in front of her. "It's just kind of funny."

Motoko crossed the distance between the kitchen entrance and the phone in an instant and held out a hand expectantly. Mitsune gave her the paper without complaint. Furrowing her brow, Motoko read the fax. "What?" she asked, incredulously, reading it a second time to ensure that she'd gotten in correctly.

Shinobu timidly peeked in from the kitchen. "What's going on?" she asked.

Suu jogged into the room from the hallway. "Family meeting time?" she asked.

"Something like that," Motoko replied. "Kitsune, where did this arrive?"

"Haruka handed it to me about five minutes ago, laughing to herself," Mitsune replied, smirking. "I think I know why."

"Well, that's obvious," the kendoka deadpanned.

"What does the letter say?" Shinobu asked, looking at Motoko curiously.

"Ah ... well, read it yourself," Motoko said, shaking her head and handing the paper to the girl.

Shinobu took the sheet of paper in trembling hands, and read aloud, "'Dear everyone. I'm okay. I'm in Australia right now. Please don't come after me. Keitaro.'"

She blinked. "He's in Australia? But ... but Naru went to Pararakelse!"

"Read the top of the paper," Mitsune instructed.

"Oh," Shinobu said, reading aloud once more. "'This fax was sent from the Archeologist's Guild Office on Pararakelse Island'." She blinked at that. "What?"

"Well, it looks like Keitaro's trying to hide where he is," Mitsune said. "But Ranma and Naru are probably close to catching him. I bet he saw one of them and got away, then tried to use this fax to confuse us."

"But ... he's alive," Shinobu said. "So he didn't vanish at sea after all!"

"Sure he did!" Mitsune countered. "He just came back."

"Well. We'll need to let Naru know what's going on, then," Motoko decided.

Shinobu frowned at that. If Keitaro were hiding from Naru and Ranma, maybe he wouldn't hide from someone else. And she'd been working hard on assembling everyone into a peaceful community. Once Haruka had convinced Ranma to stay with her own unique brand of persuasion, things had been going very well - until Keitaro vanished.

Obviously, she needed to get him back. If Naru was there, it couldn't be that dangerous. And hadn't Ranma been training them all in martial arts? She nodded to herself, plans percolating in the back of her mind.

Motoko's hand dropped to her shoulder, causing her to emit a startled squeak. "Don't even think of it," the kendoka warned. "I'm responsible for keeping you out of trouble right now, after all."

"What ... are you talking about?" Shinobu asked nervously.

Motoko just shook her head. "Naru will bring him back, Shinobu. Just have a little patience."

Shinobu bit her lip ... but Motoko was right. Aside from which, she'd need to plan for days to get past the kendoka. "Okay," she said quietly. "Dinner's almost ready. I should watch the stove." She strode back into the kitchen contemplatively.

XXX

Ranma took a seat at the cafe's table and nodded at Naru as the girl wearily sat opposite him. "I'm glad I had practice waiting tables a few summers ago," she muttered. "I've got a quick break - what brought you back so soon?"

Setting the photo-sticker book page and exam ticket on the table wordlessly, Ranma slid them towards Naru. Her jaw dropped, briefly, and then she smiled. "So he's okay?" she asked, looking up at Ranma hopefully.

"Well," Ranma said, rubbing his chin, "yes, and ... no."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure what's going on," Ranma said with an apologetic shrug. "I found some footprints next to these papers. They led to a campsite. It looks like he met up with someone at the campsite, and then they got in a car or a truck and drove towards the city. I couldn't really track it once I got into town, so I don't know where he went from there ... but it seems to me he should be in town _somewhere_," Ranma explained.

Naru looked at the exam stub and photo-sticker page thoughtfully. "Well, he's not getting off the island. I filed a missing persons report with the police, and they won't let him leave the island without letting me know about it. They'll also want to find him to get his passport, since he washed ashore somewhere," she said.

"Okay," Ranma said, nodding thoughtfully. "I'm not sure where we go from here, though. If he's in town, someone should spot him and let you know, right?"

"Right! I'll bet as soon as my shift finishes, we can go back to my hotel and get a message saying where he is," she said, smiling brightly. "This is great!"

Ranma nodded, not smiling himself.

Naru caught his lack of enthusiasm and asked, "What's wrong, Ranma?"

"Something just doesn't seem right. Something ... about this island bothers me," he said, shaking his head. "I don't know what. It just makes me uncomfortable."

Naru sobered. "You probably haven't gotten enough sleep," she decided. "Here," she added, handing him a key. "I got a room with two futons. You can use the one I'm not, and get some sleep." She hesitated, and quietly added, "Though, uh, I'd prefer it if you were ... um..."

"Yeah, yeah. Cold water and all that," Ranma said, waving a hand dismissively. "I guess that makes sense. And if someone calls, I can get the phone while I'm there. Okay, I guess I'll see you when your shift ends, then?"

Naru nodded, and Ranma took the keys. "Okay," she replied. "See you there."

XXX

When Naru returned to the hotel room, Ranma was in the bed in the far corner, just a red braid sticking out from under the covers, and sound asleep. The message light on the phone was blinking, and Naru wondered if Ranma had not seen it, or just didn't know what it meant.

Shrugging, she picked up the phone and checked with the operator in a hushed voice, her eyes hardening as she listened. Placing the receiver on the hook gingerly, as to avoid waking up Ranma, she sank to her futon, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

"That doesn't make any sense at all," she muttered. "What's going on?"

After a night of fitful sleep, Naru stared grimly at the rising sun, as Ranma woke up, yawning, behind her. The first rays of light were just reaching into the room, when the redhead climbed to her feet. "Morning," she said groggily.

"Yeah," Naru replied, looking back over her shoulder.

"Something wrong?" Ranma asked, waking up a bit more.

Naru turned around and faced Ranma directly, her expression fading to neutrality. "I think so. We got a message from Keitaro."

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's good. What was it?"

"He said, 'I'm outside of the inn, so it's okay to smack me around for being an idiot'," Naru replied.

Ranma cocked her head to one side and considered this. "I'm guessing he spelled it differently?" she asked.

Naru sighed, hanging her head. "He's avoiding us!" she complained. "Why would he avoid us? Did we do something wrong?"

"Well, calm down," Ranma reasoned. "Let's think about this rationally. The best source for answers is going to be Keitaro himself, and you can't just push a friend away without explaining why."

Sitting down, Naru placed both hands in her lap, trying to think. "Okay," she said after a moment. "What happened, then?"

Ranma pondered briefly, and then said, "Well, we never actually talked to him. So ... he thinks he did something wrong-"

"Or he really did do something wrong," Naru interjected.

Ranma shrugged, continuing, "And then he sees us, and he thinks he's going to be in trouble, so he runs away. We just need to talk to him and find out what's happening."

"Well, he really is going to be in trouble when I get my hands on him this time," Naru warned.

Ranma grunted. "I'm going to take a shower," she decided. "And then I'm going to start looking for him around town."

Naru nodded. "I think I'm going to stay, until I find him," she decided. "If he's not in town, where else could he be?"

"Ah, there's only two towns on the island," Ranma said, smirking. "So, either in one of them, or the jungle."

"What about the desert?"

"I can't think of any reason that he would want to go to the desert," Ranma said, shaking her head. "So I'm going to leave looking there for last. Remember, Keitaro doesn't drive, so he's not alone."

"Hmm," Naru pondered. "I hadn't considered that, but you did mention tire tracks."

Heading into the hotel room's small bathroom, Ranma shrugged, making sure to bring a change of clothes with her.

XXX

"Keitaro!" Seta yelled over the sounds of explosives and gunfire. "Take these!" Rattled, Keitaro reached for what Seta was handing him - it looked like a small pile of juggling balls. "Open the sunroof and throw them behind us!"

Nodding, Keitaro did as told, climbing up onto the middle seat and trying to stay out of Nyamo's way. The bandits behind them were aboard a trio of dune buggies, with rockets and machine guns mounted to their frames. It seemed to Keitaro that the recoil from the weapons should cause the buggies to overturn, but he supposed the half-dozen bandits wearing identical dust-cloaks, masks, goggles, and brandishing swords that clung to the side of each buggy might weigh them down.

He flung the balls into the air, up and behind the van, ducking to avoid an incoming hail of gunfire. Then he squinted, as he saw a handful of bullets strike the van's rear window, only to be deflected harmlessly. "Seta, does your van have bullet-proof windows?" he asked, just before the balls he'd tossed out exploded, emitting a massive volume of smoke.

"Of course!" Seta replied. "What kind of archaeologist would I be otherwise?"

Blinking, Keitaro made his way once more to the front passenger seat. "I guess I never really thought about that," he said quietly. "Um, is this normal?"

"Nah, but once in a while it's nice to enjoy a quiet dig without a lot of resistance," Seta said, shrugging. "That's why I'm able to be here without a full team."

"That's reassuring," Keitaro sighed, shaking his head. "Um, why are we bringing Nyamo into this, if those bandits are armed so heavily?"

"Oh, she's been looking for something her grandfather left in the desert, I think," Seta said, glancing over his shoulder to look at the girl briefly. "She told me she usually goes into the desert to search a few times a year. Of course, the other times, she's gone with her older brother."

"Where's he?" Keitaro asked.

"She says he stays in the desert and fights the bandits," Seta offered, shrugging. "That's all I could find out about him."

"Huh," Keitaro mused. "Maybe if we're lucky, we'll run into him."

XXX

Naru sat at the table the regular customers of the cafe tended not to use, recognizing it as her own. It was odd, she thought, that she could come to this island and settle into a routine so easily. Only a week and a half and she knew a handful her customers by name.

Ranma approached, a bit later than usual, and Naru nodded at him, pushing a drink towards the opposite side of the table. He accepted it gratefully and sat down with a sigh.

"Anything?" she asked. Ranma's search of the southern town hadn't turned anything up so far, though he'd stayed there three days to be thorough. He had already said he doubted that Keitaro was in the jungle - and if he were, it would be near some place that a car could be parked.

That left the desert, which he'd started exploring, or at least, becoming accustomed to so he could cross it more easily. "I found something out," he said, before taking a sip of his drink. "Whoa," he said, blinking. "Good stuff, what is it?"

"Watermelon juice," Naru replied dismissively. "What did you find?"

"I finally did the obvious thing and checked with Motoko-chan at the inn - there's a clue on the fax we missed. So, they mentioned it was sent from the island, but didn't mention it was sent from the Archaeologist's Guild," Ranma said, pointing at a nearby building.

Naru blinked at that. "So, they remembered seeing him?" she asked hopefully.

"Yep. I found something else interesting. Noriyasu-san was in town looking for a pair of assistants for a dig out in the desert. He hired someone local, but they remember the other assistant asked to use the fax machine," he explained. He didn't mention that they also complained about the dozen other messages that Keitaro had apparently scribbled down, and then thrown away without sending.

Naru relaxed slightly, leaning back in her chair. "So he's safe," she said. "That's good."

Ranma grunted, taking another sip from his drink. "Well, this means he's out in the desert. Which is, incidentally, filled with bandits. I got attacked while exploring the edges of it - wasn't expecting that at all," he grumbled.

"Are you okay?" Naru asked in alarm.

"Yeah ... they had guns on them, but they didn't see one on me, so they rushed me with swords," he said.

"You don't look hurt," Naru said, looking Ranma over. "What then?"

"Eh, I chased them off into the desert and then started heading back. One of them said he wanted all of my maps and digging tools before they attacked, which is part of what tipped me off to check the Archaeologist's Guild," he went on. "So after calling Motoko-chan I did that, got some of the dust off myself, and came back here."

Naru nodded thoughtfully. "Are we going after him?" she asked. She doubted she could handle bandits alone, especially if some of them carried guns.

Ranma shook his head. "I'm still thinking about that," he admitted. "Naru, you know what today is, right?"

"March ... tenth, I think," she said, checking her watch. It was still set to Tokyo time, but she needed that to know when to call back to the inn, or her parents.

Nodding, Ranma asked, "And when are the exam results posted for Toudai?"

"March ten- oh no! We've got to get back to check!" Naru yelped, drawing a few glances from the patrons nearby. She jumped to her feet, and then froze for a moment, before sitting down heavily. "What if he got in?" she asked.

"Well, I found his ticket, so we can find out," Ranma said, shrugging. "Or, I guess, give the number to the girls at the inn. What's the final day for submission of the ticket stub?"

"March ... fifteenth, I think," Naru said anxiously. "So do we take another day or two to look for him before heading home?"

"I hate to put Keitaro on hold, especially if he's out in a desert full of bandits. I think we should ask, uh, Mutsumi or Motoko-chan to check for us, and then we can mail our tickets from here before we go looking for him. And heck, if he gets in, we can send his in, too." Ranma sipped at his drink again, grimacing. "If I got in, anyway," he added quietly.

"Think positive," Naru chastised. "Maybe we'll all make it."

"Here's to hoping," Ranma said, raising his glass and draining the rest of the drink in a gulp. "I'm going to head to the hotel to call the inn. I'll give them Keitaro's ticket number. Meet you back there later tonight?"

"Sure thing!" Naru cheered. "This could have a happy ending after all."

XXX

Mutsumi hummed to herself, looking over the lists of names and ticket numbers for those who had made it into the school. Behind her, Shinobu, Motoko, and Suu pored over the numbers that Ranma had given them over the phone the night before.

"Ah!" she exclaimed. "There's ... there's my number!" She felt lightheaded, nearly enough to swoon, but she kept her feet. "Hooray!"

"Congratulations, turtle-girl," Mitsune said, appearing at her side. "And hey, look! Naru got in, too!"

"And so did my sensei," Motoko said, pride in her voice.

"Well, looks like everyone got in, then," Mitsune said, clapping her hands together. "Let's go home!"

"Wait!" Shinobu protested. "We haven't found Keitaro's number yet!"

"Well, you can't find what's not there," Mitsune said, shrugging.

"We'll see about that!" Suu exclaimed, pointing at the far side of the sign. "Look!"

"Uh, Suu, writing Keitaro's name on a piece of tape and sticking it over someone else's name doesn't get him into the school," Mitsune said, ruffling the girl's hair.

"And it's somewhat rude to whomever has their name behind the tape," Motoko said, frowning at Suu as she peeled it off. "Really, you should apologize to this," she turned to look at the name beneath the tape, "'Urashima Keitaro' person."

Motoko froze, halfway turned back to look at the other girls, and blinked. "That name ... seems ... very familiar," she said slowly.

"No way!" Mitsune exclaimed. "There's another guy in town with the same name! What are the odds?"

"No, no," Shinobu protested. "That's him! That's the ticket number Oe-san gave us!"

All of the girls looked at Keitaro's name in subdued awe, except for Mutsumi, who simply smiled pleasantly. "Now all he needs to do is sign his ticket stub, and mail it in before the fifteenth," she cheered.

"Yeah, we just need him to- Say, didn't Ranma say he found Keitaro's ticket?" Mitsune asked.

"And yet, they have not found Keitaro himself," Motoko said slowly. "This bodes ill."

"So ... they've got to find him and get him to sign his ticket in time to get back here," Mitsune deduced.

"Oh, will that be a problem?" Mutsumi asked, cocking her head slightly to one side and raising one finger to rest on her lower lip.

"I think we'd better call Naru and let her know what's going on," Mitsune decided.

XXX

Ranma was pacing the room when Naru returned. She didn't even have time to ask what was wrong before he said, "I got a call back from the inn - what would you like first, the good news, or the bad news?"

"Bad news," Naru said without hesitation. Best to get it out of the way.

"He's got to sign the ticket stub before we can mail it in," Ranma explained.

Naru looked at him oddly, and then it clicked. "He got in?" she asked excitedly. "But, that's great! Oh, wait, no it isn't! We've got to find him!"

"I can leave for the desert tomorrow morning. I can probably travel faster alone," Ranma said quietly.

Naru shook her head. "You think I'm soft?" she scoffed. "We've still been practicing every morning; I can probably keep up with you."

He looked her over and then nodded. "Okay. We're going to want to leave at first light. The problem is that we don't know where he is. I checked with the Guild again, before they closed for the day, just to see if there were any clues, but Seta didn't say specifically where his site was, just that it was in the desert," he said.

"Is there an oasis in the desert?" Naru asked. "If they haven't come back in so long, they must have gotten more food and water from somewhere, right?"

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Good thinking," he said, shaking his head. "Let's look." He produced a map from his pack, explaining, "I got this from the Guild, too. There's three, it looks like. One of them is the bandit's base-camp. Then there's a river that runs from near town, into the desert. It submerges about a mile from the road, and runs underground until it reaches here," he said, pointing to a cape on the southwestern corner of the island.

"Okay. We should go along that river, and head to the oasis on the cape," Naru decided.

"Sounds fine," Ranma agreed. "It's going to be hard getting there and back here in time ... but I think we'll be able to make it if Seta's got his van."

"Right. So ... how did we do?"

Ranma grinned and shook his head. "If we can get to Keitaro in time, Naru, we all made it."

Naru grinned back, her joy held in check only by the need to get to Keitaro before it was too late. "Great! We should probably mail in our own tickets first, just in case, though," she warned.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Okay. It's too late to call the inn, now, so we should call them in the morning before we go."

"Good," she said with a nod. "Now splash yourself with cold water and get some sleep," Naru instructed. "Lots to do in the morning!"

Snorting, Ranma headed to the bathroom.

XXX

Humming to himself, Keitaro snapped back the rod with his right hand, his left expertly snagging the caught fish before it could go over his shoulder. "Lunch is captured," he called out.

Nyamo approached and smiled a little, taking the fish from Keitaro and then returning to her laboriously maintained 'kitchen' area. Sighing, Keitaro put down his hand-made fishing rod and turned to Seta, who was still examining hieroglyphs on a nearby wall of rock.

"So, how's it going?" he asked.

"Well, it's interesting, alright," Seta said slowly, not taking his eyes from what looked to Keitaro to be nothing more than pictures of turtles in different poses. "But it's not going to tell me how to get more gas."

"Think we could get some from the bandits?" Keitaro asked, not liking the idea, but not seeing any alternatives immediately.

"I'm not sure," Seta admitted. "It'd be pretty hard to separate them from their vehicles. But ... they have to refuel them from somewhere, right? So, we just need to figure out where that somewhere is."

XXX

Shinobu counted out her life's savings remorsefully. There was no way she could afford to get to Pararakelse on that meager sum. But she'd need to try, somehow.

Sighing, she finished packing what she thought she would need and set her pack on her shoulder. First things first, she'd escape through a secret passage. No one would expect that.

It took a few tries and two wrong turns before she found the exit she was looking for - the one that came up beneath one of the steps to the inn. This would be out of sight from the inn itself, too. She struggled to climb out, until someone gave her a hand and helped her up. "Ah, thank you, Moto...ko...san," she mumbled, looking up at the kendoka. "Um."

"No," Motoko said firmly. "As I said last time, Shinobu, you're not going to look for Keitaro. I'm certain that Naru and my sensei have everything well under control."

Shinobu sniffled. "But ... I want to help him, too! What if he's avoiding Naru, but wouldn't avoid me?" she protested.

Motoko raised an eyebrow at that, and then shook her head. "Then Ranma will find him, beat him senseless, and carry him home, as appropriate," she asserted. "You should stop-"

"Motoko!" Suu suddenly cheered, popping up from the same secret passage. "Catch!" The girl flung a small metal ball at the kendoka, which Motoko deftly snatched from the air.

"What's this?" Motoko asked, looking at the device curiously.

"My electro-stun-bomb!" Suu cheered, as Motoko's eyes went wide and she stiffened, the sound of crackling electricity reverberating through the air.

"S-Suu?" Shinobu asked in disbelief, watching the silver-haired girl help Sarah up through the same exit. "What are you doing?"

"Going with you as backup! Intrepid Rescue Girl Shinobu and her Heavy Weapons Expert Side-kicks, ready for duty!" Sarah cheered.

Suu smirked and added, "The Hinata's treaties are slowing down my creative progress. I need to get out in the world and use my inventions, or my talent is going to go to waste!"

"Um ... okay, we should hurry ... but how will we get to Pararakelse?" Shinobu asked, as the three girls jogged to the bottom of the stairs.

"Just you leave that to me," Suu replied, grinning.

XXX

Motoko returned to her senses when Mutsumi had patted her on the cheek a few times. Then she coughed, expelling a small puff of gray smoke. "What happened?" she asked dizzily.

"You looked stunned," Mutsumi replied, Mitsune behind her. "We saw a flash from the top of the stairs, and came to look after you. You were just standing here, frozen, like sleeping beauty."

Mitsune snickered at that.

Motoko blanched, remembering Naru's explanation that her first kiss was with Mutsumi. It was probably best not to ask for clarification, as her score would then be rather high in terms of girls and ... at zero boys.

"I take it that Shinobu and the other girls are gone, then?" Motoko asked, instead.

"Yep!"

Motoko sighed and retrieved the bag from where she had stowed it behind a nearby tree. "Well, I'm headed after them, then. Are you coming with me?"

"Wait, you were expecting this to happen?" Mitsune asked, her expression shifting to display confusion.

"I planned for the eventuality, just in case, but I had hoped it wouldn't happen," Motoko corrected the other woman.

"That reminds me, Motoko," Mutsumi said. "The airline called to confirm that your flight leaves in an hour."

"That seems pretty thorough for a 'just in case'," Mitsune said, grinning.

Motoko blushed and looked away. "Let's hurry and get to the airport."

"Trying to change the subject?" Mitsune asked. "Come on ... was it because you wanted to chase after Keitaro? Or Ranma?"

Motoko's blush deepened, and she scowled. "I have no such inappropriate feelings for my sensei," she snapped.

"Oh, your flight was confirmed, too," Mutsumi added, smiling at Mitsune.

"Ah," Motoko said, sighing. "And what's your excuse?"

"I want a front-row seat for the mayhem!" Mitsune enthused, pumping a fist in the air energetically. "Let's go!"

Motoko hung her head. "And you?" she asked Mutsumi, raising her head to eye the girl speculatively.

"It seemed like it was such a nice trend," the girl said dreamily. "I imagine it's a lovely vacation spot!"

XXX

The most annoying thing about the desert, Naru reflected, was the heat. She had thought, somehow, that it would turn out that the desert would have some deeper, subtler cruelty. Sharp sand in her shoes, or maybe horrible cactus plants that shot needles. Heck, even a swarm of insects would be a welcome reprieve from the inane dullness of unrelenting heat. But no, after a few hours, the desert revealed that its deepest complexity was, in fact, the bounty of the sun's furnace.

"Stupid heat," Naru muttered tiredly. After half a day of trekking across the sand with only Ranma and the sand for company, she was exhausted. But Ranma hadn't shown any effect from the temperature at all, just putting on a wide-brimmed straw hat to shield himself from the sun. At least he'd given her one, too, which she was grateful for.

It was a struggle to keep up with him, though, and the worst part was that she had sworn she wouldn't slow him down! "Stop," Ranma suddenly ordered, putting a hand out behind himself and dropping his backpack.

Naru gratefully sank to her knees, sitting back on her heels and catching her breath. "What's going on?" she asked, once she was sure she could speak without gasping for breath.

Ranma shook his head, and grimaced at her. "I ... feel something I haven't sensed in years," he mumbled, his eyes seeming unfocused.

Naru looked around in confusion. It all looked like desolate, featureless desert, to her. But she wouldn't complain about the break. While Ranma concentrated, and looked around at nothing in particular, she sipped lightly from her canteen, remembering that it was important to conserve.

Ranma sighed and shook his head again. "It was nothing," he grumbled. "Just my imagination. Sorry, let's keep going. We'll want to go for an hour or two after sunset, and then make camp."

Naru glanced at her watch. The sun set in about an hour and a half, and that meant she'd crossed the halfway point. Nodding to herself, she rose to her feet. "Okay," she said. If she'd made it that far, she'd make it the rest of the way. And then she'd find Keitaro.

XXX

After a brief two-day detour to Argentina, Shinobu had gotten Suu and Sarah on the right track, and arrived at Pararakelse.

Shinobu whimpered, looking around. For a remote island, the town was pretty big. And now she would have to contend with the fact that Naru and Ranma were already here; undoubtedly, they'd send her home if they caught her. Suu seemed unconcerned, puttering with one of her devices, and Sarah was looking at a nearby bulletin board.

"Found them!" the small blonde girl exclaimed, pointing at a row of pictures.

"Eh?" Shinobu noised, turning to look.

There were six pictures there. Four of them looked familiar to her, and she blinked. Ranma, Naru, Keitaro, and ... Seta? Then, the next picture was a girl that reminded her eerily of herself, and a much older looking picture of a man wearing a bandanna over his mouth, and goggles over his eyes. The other girl was named Nyamo, and the picture of the strange man was simply labeled, 'Desert Hero.' Above the pictures, there was a heading that read: 'Vanished into the desert and presumed missing.'

"Lost in the desert?" she whimpered. "That's bad! Very bad!"

"Oh, come on," Sarah said, waving a hand dismissively. "Papa says it's not a real dig if he doesn't get lost in a desert or at sea at least once."

"Don't say that!" Shinobu exclaimed, clasping her hands together, unshed tears making her vision waver. "What are we going to do?"

"We go after them!" Suu cheered, indicating a sizable turtle-shaped craft.

Shinobu blinked the tears out of her eyes and shook her head. "Where ... did that come from?" she asked. The thing was the size of a jeep, at least.

"It was in my luggage," the silver-haired girl replied, grinning. "You like it? It should get us across the desert in no time, and has defensive capabilities, too! I've heard about bandits in deserts like this. Usually fierce banana smugglers!"

"Now that's just silly, Suu," Shinobu said, shaking her head. "But if it'll get us across the desert quickly, we can use it to search for Keitaro, right?"

"Right!" Suu cheered. "All aboard?"

XXX

"You're kidding, right?" Mitsune asked, peering into the sandy wastes. "We're headed into that? On foot?"

"Do you want to find Keitaro or not?" Motoko asked in annoyance. "If there's another way across the desert, I'd like to see it."

"Oh, man. Are you sure they went this way?" Mitsune asked plaintively.

Motoko nodded. "Sensei left his route with the Archaeologist's Guild, in case something went wrong. They also said that Noriyasu-san's daughter stopped by to ask for his route, but it wasn't listed. So we know that Shinobu is out there, too. We should be right behind them."

"Hopefully we can catch up," Mutsumi said. "Would you like a slice of watermelon, Kitsune-san?"

"If we're headed into this offense to fair and moisturized skin, yeah, I could use a slice," Mitsune sighed. "Do we at least get hats or something? I don't want to get sunburned."

Motoko's left eye twitched. "The day you spent shopping before letting us begin our search wasn't enough?" she grumbled.

"Hey, not a lot matches with sand," Mitsune countered. "You gotta coordinate."

"So, why didn't you pick up a hat?" Mutsumi asked, handing each of the others a slice of watermelon.

"Ah," Mitsune grinned, reaching into her bag and pulling out a trio of white outfits. "I got us all nice comfy desert ensembles. Tah-da!"

Motoko stared at the light, loose fitting clothing. "That ... seems sensible, actually," she grudgingly admitted.

"And hats for all," she added, winking. "Now let's get changed so we can get this over with."

XXX

Shinobu panted for breath. The searing heat was brutal, and the brightness of the sun threatened to blind her.

After the turtle had depleted its battery, she'd been reduced to staggering along the sand, hauling Suu and Sarah behind her. "So ... tired," she whimpered. "Why didn't I listen to Motoko?"

She froze, blinking at the sound of a revving engine. A car? Someone was out in the desert? Salvation!

She dropped Suu's and Sarah's arms and looked around. There it was again! Certainly a motor of some kind. No, now there were two of them. Or was that three?

She'd just determined where the sound was coming from when a trio of extremely battered and sand-scoured dune buggies shot over a distant dune headed straight for her. "Saved!" she cheered. "We're going to make it!" Waving, just in case they'd somehow miss her, she called out, "Over here!"

As the buggies sped closer, she stopped waving and blinked. There were an awful lot of men on each buggy. And most of them were waving swords, an assortment of clubs, some hammers, and various other dangerous looking weapons. This might not be a good thing.

The buggies drew to a halt about twenty meters away, and Shinobu sank to her knees as the men all dismounted, forming a semi-circle around the three girls. "This'll be an easy one," one of the men said, sheathing his sword. The only thing that distinguished him from the other men were his exceptionally bushy eyebrows. "Give me all of your valuables!"

"But ... but ... I don't have anything!" Shinobu protested. "We're lost out here all alone! Won't you help us?"

The man snorted, and his bandits laughed to themselves. "What's our motto, men?" he asked, looking around.

As one, the bandits replied, "What's in it for us?"

"But I don't have anything!" Shinobu protested again.

"Sure you do," the man said, grinning. "We found you by following the pile of unloaded weapons and bananas you left in a trail behind you."

She blinked in confusion, then looked at Suu curiously. The small foreigner remained unconscious. "What?" Shinobu asked, looking at the bandit leader. "We have weapons?"

"Or you did," the man said, shrugging. "But since you've got to have dropped them all by now, I think we're ready to fight."

"Oh, no," Shinobu moaned. "Why me?"

"Well," the man said, thoughtfully. "We tried getting the old guy in the van, but he set up a smoke-screen and got away. We tried getting that young couple, but the guy kicked our butts and threw a tornado at us. So now we're aiming at a target that we can actually handle - a little girl and her two unconscious friends seems about our speed."

"That's not fair!" Shinobu wailed. "Shouldn't you just get another job? Maybe you're not good at being bandits!"

The man laughed and drew his sword, taking two steps forward. "Now, just-"

He cut off suddenly, his eyes widening. Shinobu looked around, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. She could distantly hear the sound of something ... a keen whistle, like something flying through the air quickly. She blinked, wondering if it was all a mirage, as a large red bamboo umbrella spun into view from behind a sand dune, handle pointing down, edges flaring outward, straight across the sand in a line towards the bandits.

"CRAP!" the bandit leader yelled. "It's that freaking moron who crashed our banana smuggling ring! Get him!"

Shinobu only had time to blink, as the men struggled to get their guns from their buggies, and a slew of yellow streaks began flying from around the umbrella. The men all dodged the umbrella itself, which turned around and crashed to the ground heavily near Shinobu, but the yellow streaks all flew true, hitting the bandits' guns from a distance and slicing them in half.

"Hiko!" a voice bellowed as a figure leap from behind a dune, one fist raised above his head. "We finish your nonsense today!"

Shinobu blinked, looking up at the figure. He was large, probably taller than Motoko or Ranma, but not quite as tall as Seta. He had broad shoulders, and wore boots laced up to his knees. He had a yellow bandanna with black flecks on his head, another covering his mouth to protect it from dust, and goggles over his eyes. His shirt was yellow, though heavily smudged with desert dust, and his leggings were dark brown. A duster flared out behind him like a cape.

As he crashed to the ground, his fist slammed into it, sending out a huge wave of dust. Thinking quickly, Shinobu scrambled to get the umbrella between her friends and the advancing wall of sand. It was heavy, but Shinobu had been hauling Suu and Sarah across the desert for a while, so she quickly got it in place with enough time to duck behind it before the sand hit. After the initial blow, she peeked over the top of the umbrella, blinking. Was this the man who was called the 'Desert Hero'?

He stood surrounded by six men with swords, and snapped his belt off. It stayed straight, like a rod, and when he blocked a sword with it, the blade was cut in half. It took him only a few seconds to disarm all the men and knock each one out with a single powerful blow. Reinforcements came, but fared no better, until it was only him and the bandit leader.

"Hiko," he growled. "Don't you think it's time to grow up, turn yourself in, and get a real job?"

The bandit leader fidgeted, and said, "Um, well, normally I'd challenge you and make some mocking comment. After all, this is only, what, the billionth time you've beaten us? So, we're out of weapons now. Either we start to rob people at rock-point, or give up. But, uh, I'm personally leaning towards the retirement option."

"Are you forgetting something?" the desert hero asked in a menacing tone.

"Um ... I'm sorry?" he squeaked out, shooting an apologetic glance towards Shinobu.

The desert hero grunted and shook his head. "You should atone for what you have done," he said. "Some of us ... do not have that option. Now go."

"Sure thing!" Hiko replied, scrambling to get his men awake and on their buggies, swiftly headed away from the one who had disarmed all of his men.

Shaking his head again, the man tucked his belt back into place and started heading towards Shinobu. Then he paused and looked at a nearby sand dune, with a lower, flatter top than the others around it. "Saotome?" he asked curiously, though Shinobu was sure it wasn't directed at her.

He sighed and turned to look at Shinobu, though he seemed surprised to see her. "Nyamo?" he asked, before adding something in English. Shinobu had enough time to blink before exhaustion caught up to her and she swooned.

XXX

When Shinobu awoke, it was to Motoko's prodding. "Auugh," she said slowly, blinking up at the kendoka. "Ah! I'm sorry! Please don't be mad at me!"

"I'm glad you're doing well," Motoko said, shaking her head. "We will discuss the rest later."

Shinobu sat up and hung her head. She was lying beneath a shade that someone had set up, four posts and a good length of white sheet overhead. Sarah and Suu sat nearby, munching on watermelon slices while Mutsumi watched.

"What ... happened?" she asked.

"We found your camp," Motoko said, shrugging. "Your skill at desert survival is superior to my expectations. Perhaps I should not have warned you away from this place after all."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"You set up this camp, didn't you?" Motoko asked, gesturing to the shade overhead, and a large canteen sitting nearby.

"Um ... no," she said, apologetically. "We ... got attacked by bandits. Then someone saved us and I guess he set this up for us."

"Bandits?" Motoko asked in amusement. "This island is far too small to support any kind of bandit population, Shinobu. Perhaps you were delirious, or it was heatstroke. Here, eat this. Suu? Sarah, what do you remember?"

Shinobu looked, and accepted the watermelon slice she was offered. Suu looked thoughtful, then spat out a watermelon seed and said, "I remembered thinking I should have installed air conditioning on the mecha-tama mark four."

"Yeah, I remember thinking you should have done that, too," Sarah muttered.

"Anyway," Motoko overrode them. "You've gotten almost all the way to the oasis. Once you finish recovering a little, we'll head there. It's cooler, so you'll feel much better when we do." The kendoka produced a pair of straw hats, putting one on Shinobu, and the other on Sarah. Suu was already wearing her own wide-brimmed cloth hat.

"Okay," Shinobu agreed, nodding. At least she wasn't being sent home before she'd get a chance to talk to Keitaro.

XXX

Naru looked around warily, listening for the sounds of a bandit dune buggy approaching. So far, they'd only attacked in small groups, and Ranma said he thought they were reserving their full forces. He'd been able to fend them off quite well, but on two of the attacks, Naru had needed to fight off at least one bandit, as well.

She was glad she'd kept up her training with Ranma once she got to the island, as she wasn't sure she would have fared as well otherwise.

"Okay," Ranma said setting his backpack down, and clenching his fists at his sides. "This is driving me nuts." Throwing his head back, he bellowed at the top of his lungs, "*Ryouga*! Show yourself!"

The silent desert didn't even echo his yell back to him. He glared into the desert, looking around expectantly for a long while. Naru blinked and raised one eyebrow. "Um ... what?" she asked.

"I can ... his ... ugh." Ranma shook his head. "Martial artists can often sense the ki of other martial artists they know well. He's been on this island for a while - I can sense him all over it! But ... it's so fleeting ... so vague. Where the hell is he?"

He spun around, peering at the horizon behind him and sighed. "Well, I guess-"

And then the sound of a revving bandit dune buggy engine interrupted him, and he blinked. Smacking his forehead, he grumbled, "I'm such an idiot! Naru, when you see me starting to move in a spiral, throw yourself flat on the ground, okay?"

"Okay," Naru agreed, not really understanding what was going on. But just as Ranma had said, a trio of dune buggies burst into sight, pulling to a halt a dozen yards away and unloading about twenty men. Naru took an involuntary step back. They'd never faced more than seven at once, before. This was an awfully sharp increase in numbers.

"Alright," Ranma said. "Let's make a deal. I'm pretty sure I've knocked teeth out of a few of you already, so I'm going to hope you want to listen, because I'm in a bad mood and don't want to hurt anyone I don't have to."

"Deal?" one of the men scoffed, stepping forward. "We don't deal. This is our land. The law holds no claim here, stranger. You may be good in a fight, but you can't take us all on at once. Give us your money and your valuables." After a pause and a glance at Naru, he added, "And your woman."

"Hey!" Naru protested. "I'm not his woman!"

"Then you're free for the taking?" the bandit leader asked, grinning.

"Why you- Oooohhh..." Naru shook her fist at him angrily.

"Don't get your temper up, whatever you do," Ranma whispered to her.

Naru's fury faded quickly. She needed to act rationally against this many men; Ranma was right. "Sorry, Sensei," she mumbled.

"Well, you can try and take things from me, but I don't think you'll have much luck. The deal I'm offering you is that if you leave us alone, I won't kick your sorry butts," Ranma replied, smiling pleasantly.

"Ah, how about ... no?" the bandit leader suggested, grinning. "Okay, leave the woman for last - GET HIM!" All of the bandits drew swords and charged Ranma.

Naru quickly backed away to give him room, but he didn't wait for the bandits to reach him - he charged in, arcing about in a wide circle. To her eyes, the bandits were worthless in terms of skill compared to Ranma or Motoko. These thugs would need to train for years to even bring this fight to the level of their daily practices.

Though ... there were an awful lot of them. Ranma wove through them effortlessly, winding his footsteps in a spiral pattern. Naru nodded, remembering his first fight against Motoko, and threw herself flat just before he finished dancing around the last few bandits and reached the center of his route. "Hiryuu Shouten HA!" the cry rang out, and in the desert heat, the whirling vortex of air was even bigger than it had been against Motoko, quickly whipping Naru's hair about, and pulling her hat off.

The thugs and their dune buggies were swept up in the storm, along with most of the upper half of the dune. When it cleared, Ranma was standing in the center, atop a now slightly flattened rise in the sand, though he too had lost his hat. He looked upwards and frowned. "I wonder if they reached the ocean," he mused.

"Are you kidding?" Naru asked, looking around.

Ranma snorted. "Did you see them land somewhere else?" he asked.

"...you know, Oe-sensei, you're kind of scary when you're angry," Naru finally said.

"Believe me, that technique requires absolute calm," Ranma said, shaking his head. "Soul of ice. Anyway. We're close to the oasis. If we press on, we won't have to spend another night out here."

"Right," Naru said, grunting as she hefted Ranma's pack and held it out for him. He took it from her, shouldering the burden and consulting his compass before resuming the journey.

XXX

Keitaro hummed to himself, dusting off the large clay pot that he and Seta had discovered earlier that day. The oasis was a nice base camp, even if they were going to be stuck for a while. Truthfully, he doubted Seta was highly concerned, either. And for whatever reason, Nyamo didn't seem to mind.

Come to think of it, he reflected, this wasn't a bad way to live. "I kind of think I could get used to the quiet and calm," he said aloud, to no one in particular.

Seta suddenly cried out, "Ha!" and started running towards his van at top speed.

Keitaro set down the pot, and rose. "What's wrong?" he called to the man questioningly.

"Could be bandits," Seta replied, drawing a sword from the stack of supplies and looking up expectantly. The entire oasis sat at the bottom of a series of cliffs, only two routes leading down to the basin floor from the desert. One of those channels was a river, and the other was simply a dry riverbed. The only other way to come down would have been over the cliffs, but Keitaro imagined any bandit would scout from there before heading down.

Raising a hand to shade his eyes as he scanned the cliffs, Keitaro blinked, seeing a blurred form leap from the wall. "Wait, is that-" He had just enough time to dive to one side as the form slammed to the ground where he was standing, narrowly evading ... whoever it was.

Sprawled out, he rolled over, looking up in time to see Ranma looming above him and glaring downward fiercely.

Keitaro's jaw dropped, as he heard Seta approach. Ranma reached one hand in his pocket for a moment before producing a slip of paper. "You lost this," he said holding it out, and offering a strained smile.

The junior archaeologist blinked, sat up, and looked at 'this'. The slip of paper was ... a handwritten note? No, a series of notes! He read through them quickly. "So ... you came out here to tell me that the girls all wished me luck on the test?" he asked, looking up at Ranma in confusion.

"Other side, idiot," Naru snapped.

"Oh, right," Keitaro said, flipping it over. "Oh. My exam ticket." He frowned, and looked up at Ranma. "Why did you bring this to me?"

Naru growled, "Because, you idiot, you *got in*! You *passed*!"

"And then you just ran away!" Ranma grumbled. "I'm not allowed to, so you can bet I'm not lettin' you get away with it either."

"Well, I- Naru?" Keitaro turned to look, and sure enough, she was standing next to Ranma. "When did you get here?"

"A few seconds ago. The cliff looked a bit steep for a jump," she said. Turning to Ranma, she asked, "Would you like me to hit him for you?"

Ranma sighed and sank to a sitting position. "Nah. I think I wore my temper out on those bandits," he said. "Hey, Noriyasu-san. How's your dig going?"

"Pretty well!" Seta said, smiling. "Nice of you to drop in! I don't suppose you brought any gas with you?"

Ranma shook his head. "Sorry, Noriyasu-san. Anyway, today's the thirteenth," he said to Keitaro. "That means we've got to get you back to town by the day after tomorrow."

"Well, actually, you don't," Keitaro said, crumpling the ticket up, and tossing it over his shoulder. "I'm enjoying my time here. I'd like to be an archaeologist, like Seta."

"I'm glad to hear that!" Seta said, grinning. "But, you know, Toudai is a great school for learning to become an archaeologist."

"But I didn't get in!" Keitaro protested, looking at Seta anxiously.

"Okay," Ranma said, covering his eyes. "I take it back. Naru? Can you please hit him for me? Just once?"

"Gladly!" Naru replied, slapping Keitaro lightly on one cheek.

"Ow," Keitaro yelped. "That was ... well, it kind of stings! What was that for?"

"Even when I'm nice to you, you whine! Well, fine. I haven't even gotten to what I'm going to do to you for running away. That was for not getting the point. Keitaro, you remember that exam you took?" Naru asked.

Grumbling, Keitaro allowed, "Yeah, I do. You keep bringing my failure up."

"Keitaro, you idiot," Naru sighed. "You didn't fail. You passed!"

Keitaro blinked as the realization set in. "I ... passed?" he asked. "ACK! I crumpled my ticket!" In a panic, he dove for the scrap of paper, quickly smoothing it out. "It's still okay!" he cheered. "Now, I just need to sign the bottom and send it in! I can't believe it!"

"Well, here's where we run into a problem," Seta interrupted. "We're out of gas, Keitaro. And we've got to get back to town to turn the ticket in."

Keitaro's eyes widened. "I'm doomed!" he moaned. "Doomed!"

XXX

Shinobu watched from a few steps away from everyone else. Too much had happened too quickly, and she was trying to set everything straight in her mind. Ranma sat to one side, apparently uncaring of the situation as he leaned against a tree. Keitaro was trying not to panic, and Naru and Seta desperately exchanged ideas on how to cross the desert. Motoko and Mitsune silently considered, while Suu worked on her mechanized turtle.

Mutsumi simply sat nearby and watched Ranma, though her nearly perpetual smile had been replaced with confused curiosity. And then, there was another girl, who Shinobu thought reminded her eerily of herself. Or would, she suspected, if she got a tan. Nyamo would be her name, according to the poster she'd seen in town.

"Okay," Ranma suddenly called, prompting all to fall silent and look at him. "I've got a plan. Motoko-chan and I will go to the bandit stronghold, and just get some gas from them. I'm sure they owe us for the hats they made me and Naru lose anyway."

"This sounds a good plan," Motoko agreed.

"Well-" Keitaro began, before Ranma cut him off, shaking his head.

"We don't have a lot of time. Motoko-chan, you might want to rest up; we'll head out at about an hour before sundown. It should be cold and dark by the time we get there," Ranma decided. Then he frowned and glanced across Keitaro, Seta, and the girls curiously. "In the meantime, have any of you seen a really big guy on this island?"

"What ... kind of question is that?" Mitsune asked, scratching her head. "A big guy?"

"I dunno," Ranma said, shaking his head. "Last I saw him he was, eh, a bit taller than me. But I was shorter, then. He had short black hair, wore a yellow bandana ... carried an umbrella. Doesn't ring any bells?" He glanced across everyone, his eyes skipping over Shinobu briefly, before snapping back and locking onto her.

She resisted the impulse to step back, knowing that the cold spark of anger in Ranma's eyes couldn't be directed at her, but feeling it anyway. "I ... did," she managed tremulously. "He ... saved us from the bandits. And then made the bandits agree to give up their ways forever."

Nyamo said something in English, then, though Shinobu could only pick out a handful of the words. She looked at Keitaro in befuddlement, and he offered, "She's says that he's a local hero, Ranma. Apparently he's responsible for keeping the bandits down."

Ranma's eyes lit up, the fury igniting within them. "That bastard's toast if I get my hands on 'im!" he snarled. Shinobu jumped with alarm, momentarily panicked, and was relieved to note she wasn't the only one. "I'm goin' out ta the desert ta think for a bit. I'll catch up with you before sundown, Motoko-chan."

Everyone watched in silence as he stalked away, the shimmers of the air in desert heat seeming somehow to be more intense immediately near him, until he reached the cliff top and vanished from sight.

"Oh," Mutsumi sighed sadly, shaking her head. "He hasn't forgotten at all."

All eyes immediately turned to the woman, as she stared wistfully at the point where Ranma had disappeared from sight. "Spill!" Mitsune demanded. "This is weird, even for Ranma, and I want to know what's going on."

"I didn't think my education was something he'd get into a murderous rage over," Keitaro murmured.

"At a guess," Seta warned, cutting off further speculation, "it's nothing to do with us. I'm sure at this point that if Oe-san wanted us to be involved, he'd let us know."

"You're right," Mutsumi agreed, climbing to her feet and dusting the sand off of the flowing white desert robes that she wore. "I'm going after him."

"Er, are you sure that's wise?" Keitaro asked, frowning. "You know, the desert's dangerous, and- OW!" Then he said nothing clearly for a moment, though he made several abortive noises that sounded like they aspired to be communicative. He jumped up and down on one foot while clutching the other in both hands, shooting Naru an annoyed glance. Naru merely looked innocent and surprised.

When Keitaro had settled down and said nothing else, Naru quietly said, "Keitaro. Once I knew where you were, and I told Ranma I was going after you, he knew better than to stop me."

Keitaro's face reddened, and Shinobu winced. Well, she decided, sighing, that was it. That final confirmation. She already knew, she was certain, who Keitaro liked. But if Naru was going to spell it out for him... She smiled, feeling a sudden sensation of relief. It wasn't that bad; the clues had let her know for weeks what was going on. She'd had plenty of time to prepare herself.

Shaking her head, she dismissed that for the moment, watching Mutsumi slowly climb the path up the cliff and vanish after Ranma. "I bet they'll be hungry when they get back," she decided. "Is there anything that needs to be cooked?"

XXX

Some distance into the sands, but not so far that he couldn't get back to the oasis within a minute or two, Ranma sat atop one of the desert's taller dunes. He could see no telltale dust plumes to suggest bandit activity, but that thought only disappointed him. The dust of movement was only a precursor to the dust of battle.

And Ranma wanted a fight badly; he practically ached for it, and knew better than to ask Motoko or Seta to spar. Bad enough he had collapsed back through all of the training he and his brother had done to improve his speech. Bad enough he'd found his rage at Ryouga so quickly. But to lose it in front of the girls like that?

To make even Motoko jump in nervous fright, to mention nothing of the moment of stark terror he'd evoked in Shinobu's eyes. Seta's expression held nothing more than sympathy and regret, which Ranma couldn't understand. But Mutsumi...

Such pity! She felt so sorry for him; he could see it in her gaze, and that sad smile...

He raised his right hand into a fist and angrily punched the desert next to him. "Stupid sand," he growled. "Stupid ... stupid..." He trailed off, punching it again, and again, until his knuckles were raw and sore. The sand was merely slightly dimpled. He stared at his knuckles for a moment, and then dropped his hand to his side with a sigh. "No. I'm the stupid one," he muttered.

"You're not stupid," Mutsumi's voice came to him.

He was on his feet in a heartbeat, turning to face her before he finished rising completely, but quickly sank back to his dune. "Why are ... you here?" he asked dumbly. To make him realize how low he was by showing more of the pity he could see on her face? "I don't need your pity," he added quietly, looking away.

"It's not pity, Ranma-kun," Mutsumi corrected gently, sinking to kneel before Ranma and taking his wounded hand between both of her own. "It's sympathy."

"How would you know?" he managed half-heartedly.

"Because ... when I used good-girl's exercise number one, I saw exactly why you're angry right now," she said quietly. "Remember? And I know you're angry because you're hurt. And because of what you couldn't do. That girl ... you loved her, didn't you?"

Ranma took a deep breath and closed his eyes, turning his face to the sun. "I did," he managed in a wheezing voice. "She meant ... a lot to me."

"Do you ... want to talk about it now?" she asked hopefully.

He wanted to scream, to shake his head, to run away, to... "I think ... if I don't," he managed, shakily, "I'm gonna explode. I've been running from this too long. I... Okay, look, Mutsumi-chan. I can't ever tell this to anyone else, because I'm breaking my word of honor already by telling you."

She nodded her understanding and promised, "I'll never speak of it with anyone but you and Tama-chan, Ranma-kun."

He snorted at that and shook his head. "The only reason I'm telling you is because you'll figure it out anyway, probably. You ... remember some of what happened to me, right?"

She nodded again, and moved to sit next to him, still clasping his wounded hand in both of hers, though she set those in her lap, and offered him a comforting smile.  


* * *

Author's notes:

A:) I've always wanted to do this. Remember way back in the day, when it was 'cool' to make fun of the fact that there was a flashback coming? Me neither. But I remember that people did it anyway, and now I get to, as well: Next chapter is a few pounds of raw flashback, seasoned with a bit of rehash, and then simmered in a fine stew of new bits. Very little humor, however! So be warned.

II:) This chapter was originally two parts, but they were both very short, so I decided that you're just going to have to accept this chapter as the spring special. Sorry!

pi:) This is pretty much leading into the final arc of the story, which should end by chapter 18 at the most, I think. Flashback, resolution. Maybe a handful of epilogues. 


	17. Distant Lands, Distant Troubles

A flash of lightning split the darkness, muted thunderclaps rolling in seconds behind. From his position on the worn wooden floor of the dojo, Ranma flexed his hands.

Ki. That was the secret to this battle.

It was all about ki and the confidence to use it right. He had the confidence and the strength; all that remained was to prove it.  


* * *

Diamonds in the Rough - Chapter Sixteen - Distant Lands, Distant Troubles

Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine. That's all.

Note: I screwed up and thought that Ranma was introduced to his mother before the Shishi Houkodan arc. Erm. Assume that it's an alt, and my thoughts are correct for this story (because they are). -_-  


* * *

Mutsumi could tell that Ranma's eyes were on a faraway point, not seeing the desert around them. Not feeling the heat, the angry sun beating down on them mercilessly.

Finally, he spoke, though his words were just as distant as his gaze. "I ... was challenging someone to a duel. I had ... had just created my first ki attack. I'd made..." He shrugged, and his eyes snapped back to the present, meeting hers. "I made the Mouko Takabisha. It was because my rival learned another attack first, and I needed to make that move just to counter him."

The memories she'd gotten from him after she'd drained his battle aura that night long ago suggested what had happened. "But it didn't work quite that way, did it?" Mutsumi asked.

"No, it worked perfectly," Ranma disagreed, shaking his head. "We just canceled each other out. It was stupid, really. But I was practicing. Waiting for him to show up for the rematch. I ... couldn't sleep, so I went into the dojo to practice one night. It was raining..."

XXX

"P-chan?" he asked incredulously. "What is this, a miracle?"

"What are you talking about?" Ryouga asked from the doorway, befuddled. "And what are you doing in Okinawa, Ranma?"

"This is the Tendo dojo, idiot," Ranma said, rolling his eyes. "Come on. You're like, almost three days _early_ for a duel for once. _Too_ early - want your beatdown now?"

"Oh, is that how it's going to be?" Ryouga asked in a tight voice, unslinging his backpack from his shoulder and sending it sliding into one corner.

"I think-"

"Save it," Ryouga snapped. "That was rhetorical, Ranma. When _aren't_ you trying to start fights?"

He considered for a moment, and then grinned. "When I'm-"

"That was rhetorical, too!"

"Man, I didn't realize how annoying the Shishi Houkodan made you," Ranma sighed, rolling his eyes. "You ready to get smashed, or what?"

"I-" Ryouga's angry protest was cut off by a disappointed, muted sigh. "Fine," he managed, nearly listlessly. "I see how this is going to end. Let's just get this over with."

"Fine by me!"

XXX

In the house, Kasumi listened to the raindrops beat on the roof and glanced to the ceiling of her room. Slumber eluded her for some reason; usually the sound of falling rain lulled her into a deeper sleep, but tonight it simply wouldn't come.

She blew out a small sigh of irritation and rose, wondering why.

It felt like ... the home's 'wa', that delicate balance between the house and the family within, was becoming horribly tilted. Not breaking, at least, not yet. But it was stretching, and would soon be lost entirely.

And this time, she hadn't a clue as to what was causing it. On silent feet, she padded to her door, pausing to cinch up a warm robe before stepping into the hallway. Her sister's doors were both snugly shut, and the guest bedroom door was open. The light from the hall illuminated the bulk of Genma's sleeping form, and ... Ranma's empty futon.

"Oh dear," she murmured at the vacancy. Was Ranma trying to make himself suffer, so he could use Ryouga's move again?

Sighing, she headed downstairs, wondering what she would find. After she reached the house's main room, she paused, looking about again. There wasn't so much as a sound from her father's room, and Happosai's room was equally silent.

Steeling her resolve, she made her way to the kitchen, prepared for the worst. To her relief, it was as pristine as she had left it, nothing appearing disturbed. A pair of filled kettles sat on the stove and she turned those burners on. Hot water was always useful, and if she tried to make tea, undoubtedly Ranma would appear and ask if there was any hot water to spare.

As she finished adjusting the burners, she saw a flicker of light from the kitchen window and frowned, counting. But after a handful of seconds, there was still no rumble of thunder. Curious, she opened the back door from the kitchen, the one that led beneath the covered walkway to the dojo. Outside, the sound of rain was louder, and she could hear other noises, too.

From the dojo, of course, and then there was another flash of light. "Ah," she murmured quietly. "Ranma-kun must be practicing." Surely that was all that it was. But still...

A more distant flash of light split the nighttime sky, this one followed shortly by a rumbling wave of thunder.

Something told her that her precious wa was going to be broken by events within the dojo, and she steeled her resolve again, walking to the training hall's door. As she reached to touch it, she paused, hearing Ryouga's sad, rumbling voice, "It's hopeless," he groaned. "I can't ... you just saw my move and learned it." He sounded near the verge of tears, Kasumi thought, surprised, as her hand fell to her side and she took a step closer to the door. "And then when it was no good for you ... you just made up a new one that's even better." He sighed morosely. "I guess I can never win."

"That's right, pig-boy!" Ranma replied, more cheer and energy than normal in his voice. "In fact, take-"

"Perfect Shishi Houkodan!"

Something then told Kasumi that she needed to turn, to run away, to flee... But a heavy force weighed down on her, pinning her in place, and she saw the rain in a great ring around the dojo suddenly get shoved away, as though something huge were above the structure, blotting out the falling drops of water.

And then it crashed down, and Kasumi only saw green fire. She had enough time to scream before the emerald inferno gave way to soothing darkness.

XXX

Her hands were raw from the splintered lumber she was pulling aside, remnants of the dojo - it was only a building, and she'd been able to take the worst of it. Rain from the storm had quickly soaked her, activating her curse.

"Oh no, oh no, this can't be happening!"

Who was wasting breath on the litany, when more work needed to be devoted to removing the obstructions?

"Please, please, please be okay, I didn't mean for this to happen!"

She wished she could tell whoever was babbling to shut up, but didn't waste the effort. Heavy timbers were levered aside and heaved into the yard.

"Come on, come on, Kasumi, you have to be alright, you can't have gotten hurt by something so stupid!"

The voice hiccupped, almost on the verge of a sob, and she realized that it was her own.

There! One of the timbers shifted; Ranma threw all thought aside and began tearing the rubble away with reckless abandon. "Kasumi!" she called, as distant lightning flashed. "You gotta be alright!"

Then the rumble of thunder sounded and the shattered wood lifted, revealing a small, living form. Ranma swore loudly, seizing the piglet in one hand. "You idiot," she seethed at the unconscious animal. "This is all your-" She broke off, glaring at the creature.

She didn't have time to worry about the pig. Tossing him aside carelessly, she focused on the pile of rubble, finally uncovering the form of the eldest Tendo sister. "Oh, no," she groaned, when she saw how still Kasumi was. Why had she been outside? Had she just come to investigate a noise? What was it that had brought her-

"Ranma!"

The thoughts died a swift death, and Ranma spun to face her fiance. "I can explain everythin-"

"No," Akane said, her voice cold, eyes filled with raw hurt and anger. "You can't, Ranma. Get out."

"But-"

"Get out!" she screamed, stepping away from him, while her father stepped forward, just as much anger visible in his gaze. More, though, he was wreathed in a billowing aura of crimson chi, causing falling raindrops to hiss and evaporate with his fury.

"This is too far, Ranma," he growled. "I've abided much, but bringing harm to Kasumi crosses a line I cannot forgive. I think you had best leave - now."

"I..." But they had no reason to listen. Not bothering to face either of them any longer and unable to bear the sight of Kasumi, or Akane's anger, he turned and fled into the night.

XXX

"Was that ... how you left your old life?" Mutsumi asked gently, staring deep into Ranma's emotion-clouded eyes.

"No," he said hoarsely, after a moment. "That was just the beginning. I did something even dumber after that."

"What could it have been?" Mutsumi asked, genuinely puzzled. Being indirectly responsible for Kasumi's injury was the deepest hurt she had felt from him when she'd used the 'good girl's exercise'.

Ranma heaved an unsteady breath, and closed his eyes. "When I was just a child," he said, suddenly changing the subject, "my..." He shook his head. "The man who I called my father and the woman I called my mother drew up a contract that said I would be a 'man among men'. If I wasn't ... raised to her satisfaction, I would end my life. She meant seppuku."

"Oh, my," Mutsumi murmured, her eyes widening. "But you obviously didn't..." She trailed off and looked at Ranma, leaving the question unspoken.

"She ... didn't know about the curse," Ranma said quietly, looking away. "She thought my curse was just some girl. I ... I used that to ask her if she thought I was good enough, and..."

Even though Mutsumi knew that it was old, she could see that it was still a very deep hurt, and one that Ranma hesitated to share. But the pain in his eyes...

"Oh," she murmured, dropping his hand, and scooting closer, putting her arms about him and holding him close.

He sniffled, and she shook her head, soothing, "It's alright. Please... Just let it go, Ranma. You can't hold your hurt inside forever."

XXX

The sun was rising, somewhere. Ranma assumed it was east of her, but hadn't really stopped to care since it was bright enough to read street-signs. Not that she really had; she'd merely looked for a sign that said 'bridge'.

Eventually, she'd found one, and now stood over an impressive segment of the Tokyo harbor. She doubted the fall would do more than bruise, unless she landed just so. She also doubted that her reflexes would help her in the endeavor. "Just think positive," she mumbled to herself, climbing up onto the suspension bridge's railing and staring at the water, far, far below. "Even Akane could do this."

"Er, excuse me," someone said from behind her. She turned slowly, releasing the cable she'd been holding for balance.

It was a young man, probably in his very early twenties. He wore a distinctive dark brown jacket with a fur ruffle around the collar and sleeves, and a baseball cap.

"Yeah?" Ranma asked tiredly.

"Are you planning on jumping?" he asked.

"Yep." She forced a smile she didn't feel. "You want to go next?"

"Not really," he said, shaking his head. Ranma frowned. Her shirt was torn open, nearly exposing all of her chest. But the man's eyes were locked firmly on hers, not straying for the slightest moment.

"Then what's your deal?"

"Just here, I guess," he said, shrugging. "Do you see anyone who needs saving? I ... got a feeling someone did."

Ranma turned around again and stared at the water. "It's not even proper seppuku," she murmured. "I'm supposed to die. For family honor."

"Why not wait until after the sun finishes rising?" the man asked. "Go with that last sight, if you have to."

"You sure don't seem much for talkin' me out of it," Ranma muttered, staring at the horizon.

"A man makes his choices and lives by them," he said, shrugging. "Or dies, I guess. But..."

Ranma turned back and raised an eyebrow. "Well?" she finally asked, when he said nothing else, now watching the sunrise.

"I once had a family," the man said distantly. "But ... I had to leave it. A bad man married my sister. I couldn't stand him, so I left. But I made a promise then. I promised that no matter what, I'd always try and make sure that bad things didn't happen to good people." His eyes slid from the sunrise to lock on hers again, and this time, Ranma felt herself somehow pinned to the bridge's railing by his gaze. "I think you seem like a good person. Is there anything I can do to make sure that nothing bad happens to you?"

"A bit late for that," Ranma managed, trapped in this stranger's eyes. "Why do you care?"

"Because I failed terribly, once," he said quietly. "And I'm trying to make up for it."

Ranma said nothing, merely feeling the winds that caused her to sway, momentarily nearer the brink, momentarily nearer to safety. Eventually, she turned around, just in time to watch the sun clear the horizon entirely, though tearing her eyes from the man seemed unnaturally difficult.

"Do you think ... you can make up for any failure?" she finally asked.

"I do," he said, smiling warmly. "And that's what I live my life for."

"So ... you still haven't really explained your deal yet," Ranma murmured, shaking her head and then looking across the harbor, as boats began to sluggishly creep from their moorings, spreading ripples and wakes across the water.

"If you come with me, I'll teach you everything I know about living," the man offered.

Ranma hesitated, but... She'd already thrown away her honor by coming here instead of committing seppuku. It wasn't as though she could dishonor herself further. "Sure," she finally said, turning around. "But if you think I'm just some girl, you got another thing coming, Pal. Some hot water, and we'll see if you still want to teach me."

He grinned and extended a hand towards her. "I'm Oe Kintaro. Partners?" he asked.

"Sa..." She trailed off, then shrugged, and accepted the handshake, which he used to pull her back to the level of the sidewalk. She allowed him, and then said, "Ranma."

"No last name?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not right now," she said quietly.

"Well, let's go get you that hot water you seemed interested in," the man decided, releasing the handshake. "Come on."

XXX

Mutsumi smiled, as the tension drained from Ranma. "Aniki saved my life," he said quietly. "If it weren't for him, I think I would have jumped."

"But you didn't," she said, shaking her head. "And I'm glad for that."

He blushed slightly, looking away, though he didn't try to escape from her embrace. "I am, too," he said quietly. Then he looked across the desert, his expression hardening. "It's just... All of that hurt, I blame on ... on Ryouga. If it weren't for him..."

"Then this never would have happened?" she asked.

"I..." Ranma didn't even know what he was going to say and let the attempt at speech die. After a moment of hesitation, he sighed and admitted, "No. It's my fault, too. I picked the fight with him. I was the one that thought we could do it in the dojo. All because I was impatient and it was raining."

"But you said that he sometimes vanished for weeks," Mutsumi protested. "You might not have seen him for a month after that night, thanks to his poor direction sense. Remember how long you waited for him to show up to your duel before you left for China?"

"Yeah that's-" Ranma suddenly broke off and edged out of Mutsumi's grip, looking at her strangely. "No, actually, I didn't mention that last part." He swallowed nervously and asked, "How much ... do you remember of ... of my life?"

Mutsumi looked thoughtful and tapped her lower lip with the tip of one finger. "Well," she said after a moment. "Bits and pieces. Mostly I remember that night where you fought with Ryouga. But I remember you looking at a girl, and her asking if you would be her friend. I remember you telling Ukyou-kun that you thought she was cute. And I remember you saying goodbye to your wife."

Ranma flinched.

"And I remember when you first took a bath after you got your curse."

Color drained from Ranma's face momentarily, before it turned bright red and he stared at his feet intently.

"But I don't remember a lot of things, like your..." She trailed off and sighed. "Well, most of them fade. I think they're not my memories, so they'll go away. But I think I only got them because they're all memories which seem very important to you."

"Oh," Ranma coughed, his blush diminishing, but not entirely subsiding. "Well. Um, yeah. I could see that."

Then Mutsumi smiled and waggled a finger at Ranma. "Naughty," she chastised.

His blush deepened and he stared at the horizon. "I'm gonna die," he muttered. "That's so embarrassing."

The woman giggled and said, "I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"Erg."

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah," he said, after a moment. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ... to dump on you."

"I thought we were friends, Ranma," she chastised. "Isn't this how we should help one another?"

"Oh yeah," Ranma said quietly. "Man. I'm dumb about stuff like this."

Mutsumi giggled again, but didn't correct him.

"Only thing I can't figure is ... er ... why you remembered some of the stuff you did," Ranma mumbled.

"Oh, that naughty one, I didn't," she said, her smile widening. "I just guessed. That's what I'd probably do if I were a boy who got turned into a girl."

"Oh, damn," Ranma muttered, covering his face with his hands and chuckling. "You're gonna be a bigger handful than Kitsune, aren't you?"

"Well, I got you to laugh a little, so maybe! But, Ranma-kun, let's go down to the beach. It's hot here, and you should get something to drink."

"Yeah," he agreed, climbing to his feet, and then helping Mutsumi up. "And ... me and Motoko-chan are gonna have to stage a raid on that bandit fortress to get enough gas to get back to town. We'd better start getting ready." Nodding decisively, he began striding towards the oasis.

"Ranma-kun?"

He paused, turning around, a few steps down the slope from Mutsumi. "Yeah?" he asked, turning back.

As she stepped towards him, she stumbled slightly, and he moved forward to catch her carefully, the two ending with faces a hairsbreadth apart. His eyes widened slightly, as she smiled up at him, her breath tickling his jaw line. Her lips pursed slightly, as her eyes drifted closed. He leaned towards her to-

"...Oe-sensei!"

He broke away and spun around nervously, just in time to see Motoko clearing the trail that led up the cliff, her hat tied to her cloak and trailing behind her in the breeze of her passage. "Oh, damn," he growled. Turning back to Mutsumi apologetically, he said, "Look, I- MMPH!"

She didn't release him from the kiss until he could hear Motoko's footsteps drawing close, and then faltering. "Gah," he gasped. "Urk. Don't kill me!"

"I'm fairly certain I know who the aggressor was," Motoko replied, standing a short distance downhill and peering up. Her expression was unreadable, shadowed somehow beneath the wide brim of the hat she had put on when Ranma was ... distracted.

"Uh. Wait! What are you implying? That was totally me!"

Mutsumi giggled, and Motoko snorted. "Sensei," Motoko said, "I'm, er, glad for you. Really." There was a moment of awkward silence, before Motoko added, "But we have good news! Shinobu and Keitaro managed to find more fuel."

Ranma blinked. "Oh," he said. "That is good. I think. Wait! No beating on bandits?"

"Well, passenger space is somewhat limited in Noriyasu's vehicle, but I suspect that those of significant martial skill can simply cling to the roof," Motoko opined.

"We'll figure it out back at the oasis," Ranma decided.

XXX

Something had changed, Shinobu realized, as she dangled her feet in the pond at the base of the waterfall, looking at the trail behind her. Motoko descended first, a handful of bounding leaps carrying her down, and then a quick run moving her across the valley floor to Keitaro. Ranma had left in a fury, but walked back holding hands with Mutsumi, the two of them taking their time.

Shinobu blinked, and then looked at Mitsune sidelong. The woman stared for a moment at the couple in surprise, and then shrugged, smirking at Shinobu. "Took 'em long enough," she said with a wink.

"I guess so," Shinobu murmured. She'd never really noticed that anything was going on between Mutsumi and Ranma, as focused as her attention had been ... elsewhere. "We should pack," she decided.

"Pack what?" Mitsune asked. "Most of our luggage still hasn't made it to the island."

"Well, clean, then," Shinobu decided. "We'll leave the oasis neat for the next people who come here."

"But ... who else would come here?"

Keitaro glanced up from where he was busily packing up some of Seta's equipment, Naru watching him curiously. "We're coming back," he offered. "Or sending someone back. We're not done with this site, we just ... er ... need to get back to town in time to submit our exam tickets."

"Yo," Ranma called as he and Mutsumi reached the base of the cliff. "So, is there enough gas to get back to town?"

"Plenty!" Seta yelled back. "We should all be able to fit, too. We're going to need to leave Koara's toys behind, though."

"They're not toys!" Suu protested. "Toys are more important!"

Ranma blinked and scratched his head. "I guess everything's gonna work out after all," he decided.

XXX

Minami had generally learned to mind her own business, and understood that for whatever reason her employer didn't like to discuss some parts of her past. But she was relatively free with information when Ranma was around, especially on those rare occasions he came alone, instead of with all of his friends.

And business was slow enough that she could sip at her drink a few seats down from Ukyou and Ranma and hear them both. She had her back turned, but she listened intently to the conversation anyway.

"Are you serious?" Ukyou asked, stunned. "Ryouga lives on some tropical island now?"

"Pararakelse," Ranma replied, nodding. "It ... made me deal with something I'd been ignoring for a while."

"Ah," Ukyou said quietly, flipping an okonomiyaki onto the plate before Ranma. "Well, what about good news? Has anything positive happened lately?"

Ranma fidgeted for a moment, and Ukyou heaved an exasperated sigh. "Come on, you lug. Who is she?"

"Erm. Mutsumi," Ranma managed very quietly.

Minami took that opportunity to peek behind her. Ranma stared into his plate, face slightly pink. Ukyou looked at him, and was smiling, but Minami could see that it didn't completely reach her eyes. She turned away quickly, before she was spotted.

"You'll need to introduce me to her better at some point. And good for you, Ranchan. You should be happy!"

"Well..."

"Don't worry about it! So, how did you do on the test to get into Toudai?"

"I passed, actually."

"I thought you'd be okay," Ukyou said, giggling quietly. "I've never seen you fail at anything you really had your heart set on. Remember when you got hit with that Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion?"

"Don't remind me!" Ranma grumbled. "But yeah. And ... thanks, Ucchan. For believing in me. I ... gotta go. I'll come by again on Friday."

"Looking forward to it," Ukyou replied earnestly. "You be sure to bring your new girl along so I can get to know her better, alright?"

"'Course! I'm glad that everything seems to be working out so well for once. Anyway, you take care of yourself, Ucchan. See you 'round!"

Minami turned around again, but Ranma was gone. She felt a breeze tug at the loose hair that had escaped her ponytail and turned to look back at the restaurant's door, which was just swinging shut. "That guy sure knows how to move," she opined to Ukyou.

"You said it," Ukyou replied quietly. "Minami, why don't you take the rest of the evening off? I'm going to close up shop here."

"Are you sure, Boss?" she asked. But the question was a formality; Ukyou may have kept a close eye on the restaurant's budget, but she wasn't terribly strict about the schedule.

"Yeah." The chef flashed her a smile. "I need some time to think. I'll just clean up while I'm doing it. There's no one else here right now anyway."

"Okay, Boss," Minami agreed, thinking of what she'd heard. "I'll just turn off the sign on my way out."

"Thanks. Walk home safely!"

Minami giggled and nodded; the area was low on crime in general. When a handful of thugs had actually appeared within shouting distance of the restaurant once, Minami had gotten to see her employer's 'combat' spatula in action. It was swift and brief, and Minami felt perfectly safe from that point on. Of course, it hadn't happened since, and that was weeks ago.

After taking down the store's signs for the evening and closing the door, Minami took a deep breath and sighed, strolling slowly down the street, hands in her skirt pockets. Three streets down, she peeked into a darkened alleyway, seeing a feminine form leaning against the wall there. "Hey," she called quietly, not quite willing to leave the pool of light and safety that projected a step from the alley entrance. "I thought you might be early."

"When I want something, I generally get it," the woman said, straightening up and striding towards Minami. She reflexively took a step back, stopping when the other woman did, still shrouded in shadow and somehow more ominous apart from the walls of the buildings around her. "What do you have for me?"

"Well ... what do you need to know?"

"Everything," she said humorlessly. "Is he ... seeing anyone?"

Minami nodded. "Ukyou said he was dating ... Konno-san. But now he's seeing someone named Mutsumi. I don't really know her."

"He broke up with this Konno?" the voice asked, suddenly eager and demanding.

"W...well..." Minami trailed off uncomfortably. "You promised me money," she said, shaking her head. "Why do you want to know this, anyway?"

"Standard rates, darling," the woman said flatly. "Are you going to buy answers from me?"

"I suppose you think you're shrewd, but you don't hold all the cards here," Minami warned. "I've seen your type enough; you think you know everything about how this works. Look, Ukyou is my boss. I'm not telling you anything else, unless you can promise me that you're not trying to hurt her, or me, or the restaurant."

"In all honesty, I couldn't care less about those things," the woman said angrily. "If that's all you need, you've got it. As long as I get what I want, I give you my word that I won't try and harm you, or Kuonji."

"Now that we're starting to get that out of the way, what's your name, anyway?"

"Yamada Nonoko," came the answer after a moment.

"Well, that was a poor choice for a false name," Minami said, suddenly smiling. "Couldn't you come up with something just a little less generic? Now I know not to trust you until I can see some identification."

Then the woman moved, emerging from the shadow, and Minami saw the hand reaching for her shoulder. There was a brief glimpse of the woman's clean business suit, shoulder-length brown hair, and then an immeasurable anger burning in her eyes. Minami spun violently, dizzied, and not sure what had happened until she felt an arm snake around her neck from behind and yank her back in a chokehold. She was dragged into the alley, flailing her heels against the sidewalk but not able to make a noise louder than a whimper.

"You said you know how this works," her captor said tonelessly. "So now that you've gotten yourself in this deep, you're just going to _give_ me what I want to know." Minami struggled for a moment, and the woman holding her chuckled menacingly. "But I'll give you what you think you want to know anyway. My name is Tendo Nabiki. Now let's talk about Ranma..."

XXX

Humming quietly to herself, Kasumi finished hanging the last of the laundry, glad for the clear skies. She turned around and nearly collided with her husband. Her bad leg gave way as she tried to catch herself.

His arms encircled her in a protective and welcoming hug before she could fall more than a handful of centimeters. "Morning, Kasumi-chan," he whispered to her.

She smiled, looking up at him. "Good morning, Tofu," she whispered back.

He helped her stand up straight again and she blushed slightly; even after years of marriage, his presence and caring simply seemed so ... unbelievable and fantastic to her. "How are you doing?" he asked, his smile faltering.

"Ah," she said, sighing. "That last phone call. Father is demanding grandchildren again?"

He winced and nodded apologetically.

"When we're ready," Kasumi said, glancing in the direction of the Tendo house, as though it loomed immediately above them, and was not some kilometers distant.

"Yes, of course," he agreed, smiling brightly. "It's just ... ever since..."

Kasumi nodded and took Tofu's hand. "I think," she decided, "it's time we had a talk with Father. He needs to get over this, and it's been ... too many years. He can't add the wedding of Ranma and Akane to mother's shrine, but the way he behaves..." She sighed. "We need to speak with him."

Tofu hesitated. "I can call Akane," he said after a moment. "I'll ask if we can go over for dinner."

"We really should invite them over here," Kasumi said, shaking her head.

"If it breaks down into an argument again, I'd like us to be able to leave, instead of needing to fight your father," Tofu said quietly.

Kasumi winced at that. "You're right," she agreed. "I will call Akane, then. I'm certain she'll welcome the break from the responsibilities around the house."

Tofu nodded and released Kasumi from his embrace. She strode forward, trying not to visibly favor her good leg. It didn't hurt, usually, it just wasn't as strong. After the collapse of the dojo had crushed her ankle, it'd healed awkwardly, no longer a joint, but a more-or-less solidly fused mass. Tofu's acupuncture couldn't restore it, and she thought the surgeries that involved transplants from ... the recently deceased ... were simply repulsive.

She clucked her tongue once to herself as she reached the phone and dialed home. "Tendo dojo," Akane answered unenthusiastically.

"Good morning, Akane-chan!" Kasumi replied, forcing more cheer into her voice. "How are you doing today?"

Akane's mood seemed to lighten, and she said, "Oh! I didn't know it was you, Kasumi. I'm doing fine. Um ... how are you and Tofu-sensei doing?"

"Very well, Akane-chan. But Tofu tells me that Father called him this morning. Did he speak with you, as well?"

"Ugh," Akane sighed. "Yeah. He's still trying to convince me to find someone and make a bunch of babies for the dojo."

Kasumi shook her head, realizing too late that her sister would not see the gesture. "Akane-chan, I think that you and I need to speak with Father about this. He needs to let you get on with your life, too."

"Yeah," Akane said slowly, hesitantly, "but ... how are we going to get that to happen? I mean... You _know_ how he is. And..." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Even if we do talk sense into Daddy, how are we going to keep Saotome-san from breaking down when we tell Daddy that ... er ... I'm not going to just marry some guy for the dojo?"

"We can only try our best," Kasumi declared. "I think I will let Tofu speak with Saotome-san."

"Okay, then. What time are you going to come over?"

"This afternoon, I think. I'll make dinner, so you don't need to rush yourself through your classes."

Akane paused for a moment, and then said, "Well, I don't usually cook after I teach... But if you're sure, I could really use a nice long soak after lessons."

Kasumi laughed aloud. "Oh, Akane-chan, that's the least I can do! Isn't Nabiki with you?"

"Hardly," Akane replied with a groan. "She showed me how to handle the books myself, at least, but she's so busy with college that she never really has time to help out anymore. I haven't even seen her since she left for classes yesterday."

"Oh, dear," Kasumi sighed. "Well, you must remember to ask me for help once in a while, Akane-chan. You're not carrying the dojo on your shoulders alone."

This time the pause was much more marked.

Wincing, Kasumi said, "You shouldn't have to, at least."

"Thanks, Kasumi," Akane said. "Everything's going to turn out alright, one way or another. See you later today?"

"Oh, yes, Akane-chan. I will, and please don't let Father bother you too much."

"I won't. Goodbye, Kasumi."

"I'll see you later, Akane-chan."

Setting the receiver back on the cradle, she turned around in time to see her husband re-enter the house, dusting his hands off from his yard work. "Tofu?" she asked anxiously.

"Yes, Kasumi-chan?"

"When we go to see Father tonight ... and I'm sorry I must ask you for this, but could you ... distract ... Saotome-san?" she asked.

Tofu looked surprised at the request, and then considered, straightening out his spectacles before he shrugged. "That's not a problem," he said. "Do you need me to take him out of the house, or just away from your father?"

Kasumi bit her lip and stared at her feet.

"I'll stay within shouting distance," he decided.

Kasumi's smile blossomed, and for a moment her husband looked as stunned as he had before he'd summoned the courage to ask her out, all those years ago.

XXX

After getting the information she needed, Nabiki saw to it that Minami would be occupied for a while; at least long enough for her to get everything she needed set up. The first thing, of course, would be to see what information could be gleaned from this 'Konno Mitsune'. If she was a bitter ex-girlfriend, or a jilted fiance, Nabiki might find an ally to her cause.

If not, she might just be able to get more information. But Mitsune lived in the same building as Ranma, and while Nabiki was eager for the conflict, a frontal assault would gain her nothing. So she'd managed to get Mitsune's working address from Minami before she'd been sent away.

After the woman's shift finished, Nabiki 'accidentally' bumped into her, knocking Mitsune from the curb and into the street. Or, that had been the plan; Mitsune made a startled noise and rolled with the motion, tumbling to her feet and then scurrying out of the way of an oncoming car. Nabiki blinked in surprise, suddenly glad that the woman had enough skill to evade the vehicle. Her plan had involved the dirty water in the gutter and a hot cup of tea to apologize for the mess.

"Um, I'm sorry," she said to the woman. "Are you ... okay?"

"I'm fine," Mitsune said, somewhat testily. "What do you think you're doing?"

Nabiki wracked her mind, trying to think of what she could say that would lead to being able to drill the woman for information. Desperate, she said, "I'm sorry. I'm... My boyfriend just dumped me."

"Aw," Mitsune said, sudden sympathy in her eyes. "I know how much that sucks. You'll be okay. Chin up, ya know?"

"I ... guess," Nabiki said, hanging her head and sighing. "Um. I was just headed out to get a drink. Do you think I could buy you one to apologize?"

"Eh?" Mitsune noised. "Well... Sure!"

Nabiki hid an internal sigh of relief. It wasn't her original plan, and it was lacking in the subtlety she preferred, but if it came down to it, she could try and get Mitsune liquored up enough to talk. It might even be faster than what she had originally intended.

Nabiki smiled gratefully. "Do you know a place around here that serves alcohol?" She forced down an uncomfortable shiver at the gleam in Mitsune's eye at that question.

XXX

After her last class finished and she'd sent the students home, Akane sighed wearily and trudged into the house. The new dojo was nicer looking, and perhaps even slightly larger than the one her father had built some years ago. But it wasn't the same, and she couldn't help but feel a certain sense of nostalgia whenever she looked at it.

She passed her father and Genma playing go on her way to the bath. "You need to eat more," she chided Genma in passing. It wasn't something she thought she'd ever say to the man, but these days she found herself making the comment at least once a week. Ever since Ranma's departure, the man hadn't sparred as much, and found himself burning less energy. He'd also begun eating less.

At first, Akane had worried that the man was wasting away. To a small degree, she'd eventually realized he was. A vital part of himself had been lost; after he'd spent six months on the road looking for his son, he'd come back gaunt and with a haunted look in his eyes.

After that, he'd been quiet and polite, simply trying to stay out from underfoot. His skills had atrophied, but Akane had managed to rope him into teaching the beginner classes. He still had more than enough technique for that, and after a week or two, he'd started to rebound, improving again.

Her own daily sparring matches with the man brought a spark of life to his eyes, but she knew she couldn't push him as hard as his son had, and that he was living a pale reflection of the life he'd once led. She sighed and stepped into the bathing room. She scrubbed herself quickly, rinsing, and then groaned in appreciation, settling into the furo for a long soak.

"Ranma," she mused quietly, staring at the ceiling. Everyone had been numb when it had happened; it just seemed beyond Ranma's nature to demolish the dojo, and especially to cripple Kasumi. Tears came to her eyes, as they always did when she remembered Ranma leaving.

She hadn't thought about what was going on; it was raining, she was cold, it was wet. Somewhere, beneath the crumbled remains of her family legacy, her sister lay, maimed and quite possibly dying. When she'd finally managed to scramble her way to where she could see Ranma, she saw the redhead growl at her piglet and toss the creature over one shoulder.

Blinking away the tears that were obscuring the ceiling, she could only remember the raw horror that had burned through her; had Ranma gone mad? But then her father was there, and Ranma uncovered Kasumi. She was angry and confused over Ranma's treatment of P-chan, but to see Kasumi lying so still...

She wished with a sigh that she'd demanded an explanation. It wasn't the first time she made the wish, but she realized uncomfortably that Ranma had tried to offer one. Akane now knew where she got her temper from; her father was in no mood to listen to reason at the time either.

"Akane-chan?" a voice from the changing room called.

"Ah, sorry, Kasumi," she mumbled, pulling herself from the furo. "What time is it?"

"Dinner will be ready soon."

Akane began toweling herself dry. "Already?" she asked, surprised. "Did you order take-out?"

"You've been in there for more than an hour, Akane-chan," Kasumi chided, as Akane wrapped the towel around her chest and opened the door.

Her older sister wore a look of amusement and sympathy. Akane couldn't help but blush. "I lost track of time completely," she admitted. "I'll just dress, then."

Kasumi nodded and stepped out of the changing room to give Akane some privacy. After changing, the youngest Tendo put all of the dirty clothes in the hamper and checked her reflection to make sure that no shampoo or the like was still in her hair. The image in the mirror eyed her critically, and she stuck her tongue out at it. It returned the favor and Akane snorted, turning away.

From the living room, Akane saw Tofu and Genma strolling across the back yard, quietly discussing something. Kasumi and Soun sat at the table, where Kasumi had set out some of the dinner, but not enough to warrant calling the other men in. Akane took her seat and frowned at Nabiki's absence.

"She called to say she had to move a package to Hokkaido for a project," Kasumi offered, before Akane could ask. "Then she said she had to catch a flight to an island in the south."

Akane blinked, imagining her expression displayed her incredulity fairly clearly.

Kasumi shrugged and said, "I don't know what she's up to. But if she's busy..."

"Well, what's this all about, then?" Soun asked, setting down his newspaper, seeming to only just then realize that he wasn't alone. He grinned and looked between his daughters. "Ah! Akane, you're looking well. And Kasumi! It's good to see you! You know, just this morning, I was talking to-"

"I know, Father," Kasumi overrode him gently. "He told me."

"Ah," Soun said, his cheer slightly diminishing. "Well, then ... how about it?"

"We will have children when we're ready, Father," Kasumi said in the same gentle tone. "That's not going to change."

"But ... we need an heir for the dojo," he protested. "I mean-"

"That I'm not good enough?" Akane asked.

"What?" Soun looked genuinely confused. "Why would you think that?"

"Because I'm here, Daddy," Akane sighed. "Because I'm here, and I've been here over two decades. I'm the one who uses that new dojo - the one Nabiki and I built. Me and Saotome-san teach there, and you don't. Ranma's gone. I wish I knew more about why ... he did what he did. Why..." She trailed off and shrugged uncomfortably, giving her elder sister an apologetic glance.

The accident was something that they had never discussed in detail. Kasumi especially was responsible for that - she found it so hard to believe that she simply hadn't been able to bear it being brought up for a terribly long while. Then, of course, she had moved out after her marriage to Tofu.

"I know some of it," Kasumi offered, frowning. "I think... I think it's time we did discuss it." Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, she began, "I heard him arguing with Ryouga-kun before..." She shrugged herself, one hand going to her fused ankle.

"What?" Akane asked, somewhat surprised. "But he wasn't there - I got to the dojo first. It was dark, but Ranma pulled P-chan from the rubble. I never saw Ryouga at all." She frowned. "He probably hurt P-chan when he threw him across the yard," she murmured. Swallowing, she added, "I ... never saw P-chan after that. Do you suppose that ... that Ranma ... killed him?"

Soun blinked, looking rather as though someone had dropped a freight train on him. "Excuse me?" he managed in a wavering voice. "Ryouga was there?"

"Yes," Kasumi said. "But Father, that's not what's important right now. We need to explain why you have to stop-"

"Wait," he said, unnatural force in his tone silencing both Akane and her elder sister. "This is critical." He turned to Akane, and she felt suddenly intimidated by the glow in his eyes. "You saw your pet pig. Ranma pulled it from the wreckage of the dojo?"

"Y...yes," Akane said falteringly. "But how is this-"

"If we are lucky," Soun growled, "then Ranma did kill the pig."

"Father!" Kasumi yelled, while Akane reeled. "Please! Don't play games like this!"

As soon as she raised her voice, Tofu was inside, crouching nearby protectively and checking to make sure she wasn't hurt before shooting an angry look at Soun. Genma ambled in and waited in the entryway, watching with silent curiosity.

"Saotome," Soun said in a quiet voice, closing his eyes and placing a hand across his face. "I ... may have accused your son in error. He may not have been responsible for what happened those years ago."

Akane recovered herself, but if anything, the situation was only becoming more confusing. A glance at Kasumi showed that her older sister apparently felt the same way, and the two exchanged a shrug before turning to look at Soun curiously.

Taking a deep breath, Soun motioned for Genma to have a seat. "Saotome," he continued in that quiet, solemn voice. "Can you tell my daughters about Ryouga's Jusenkyou curse?"

"Ryouga's curse?" Akane asked in shock. "What?"

Genma nodded. "Certainly!" he said agreeably. "Ah ... as I recall it, when Ranma and I had just gotten our own curses in China and we were sparring, Ranma accidentally..." He trailed off suddenly and blinked, turning to look at Akane. "Ah, actually, Tendo, if you think about it-"

"I think it's time to let them know that truth," Soun said with iron in his voice. "It makes certain others clear."

"Er... Alright then," Genma said, shrugging uncomfortably. "Ranma accidentally knocked Ryouga into the spring of drowned pig. I didn't know until after I picked up a little black piglet and brought it to the guide to boil. Of course, I didn't recognize Ryouga at the time, but..."

Akane felt the world around her grow diffuse and unfocused. Her father and Genma loomed before her, giant in her field of vision, yet meek, and cowering away. She was aware briefly that the table with the dinner Kasumi had made was gone, and that Tofu had retreated to the far side of the room, his wife held in his arms. The fear in Genma and Soun's eyes wasn't enough to overshadow the anger reflected back from her own gaze, an emotion that Akane knew she showed, if she didn't let herself feel it. The hole in the floor approximating the table's size kept her from easily stepping forward and throttling her father; that second of delay gave her enough time to reconsider her course of action.

"You're telling me," she heard her voice say, from very far away, when her body stopped moving towards Soun, "that Ryouga was P-chan."

Genma and Soun both managed a jerky, hesitant nod to her non-question.

"And you - both of you - for whatever reason, decided that even though you knew, I shouldn't?" she asked.

"W...well..." Genma began, cringing away, but not turning to flee.

"It ... was my decision," Soun said, shaking his head, unshed tears shining in his eyes. "I ... I thought that Ryouga as a rival would force ... Ranma closer to you. To protect you from ... Ryouga."

"I see," her voice came, still from across that great distance. "I'm going for a walk now, Daddy. Saotome-san. I need time to think." She plodded slowly to the doorway, but paused there and turned back. From this distance, her father seemed tiny and inconsequential. "Daddy? You've done enough meddling in our lives when it comes to love and marriage. I'm not going to allow you to bother Kasumi and Tofu before they're ready anymore."

She heard someone calling for her, but didn't heed it; she was out into the yard and then leaping over the wall before she let the tears of betrayal flow.

XXX

Motoko easily deflected the first three strikes and slid to the side of the fourth, kicking out and catching her sensei in the stomach. He grunted and stepped back, then surged forward, pinpoint accurate pressure-point strikes numbing her arm.

She let her sword fall and used a palm-strike to shove Ranma back, earning some distance. While Ranma flipped backwards, away from her reach, she activated the counter-points, waiting for feeling to return.

"Oe-sensei!" Shinobu called from the doorway to the kitchen.

Ranma held up a hand to signify that the fight was over for the moment and turned to look at the girl curiously as she jogged across the lawn. Motoko picked up and cleaned her blade before sheathing it. "What's up, Shinobu-chan?" Ranma asked, grinning at the girl.

As she drew closer, Motoko realized that Shinobu looked upset, concern etching her features. "Kitsune's in trouble," she explained, offering Ranma a piece of paper.

"This is the address to a bar?" Ranma asked, scratching his head before copying the note into his book. "I tried applying there once. Anyway, what kind of trouble is she in?"

"I'm not sure," Shinobu said tremulously. "But the bartender said she passed out."

Ranma grunted. "You stay here with Shinobu-chan, Motoko-chan," he decided. "I'll go get Kitsune." Motoko nodded, stepping back when Tama lit upon Ranma's head and chirped. "I-" He paused, and glanced up at the turtle. "We'll be right back," he decided.

And then he ran off, not even grabbing his bicycle, vanishing into the trees.

Shinobu sighed, watching him leave. "I'm so glad he's here," she finally said. "He really seems to handle emergencies so well."

"I'd almost think he enjoyed it," Motoko said quietly. "I think that it's when things seem most wrong, that he seems to be most alive."

"What does that mean?" Shinobu asked, blinking.

"It means," Motoko said slowly, "that I think Oe-sensei tries to do good things and fix problems because of a mistake in his past. I didn't see it before, but I know now that Oe-sensei lives to right wrongs. This is a more noble goal than my own, which is simply to destroy evil."

"Destroying evil is good, though," Shinobu opined.

"But righting wrongs is also very important," Motoko countered. "It becomes clear to me that what my sister wished me to learn was not combat skill, but wisdom."

Shinobu blinked at that, but said nothing until a bounding blur lit on the yard and streaked towards them. Motoko's sword was quickly drawn and held loosely at her side: ready but not menacing. The new arrival slowed down, stumbling to a halt outside of Motoko's reach.

Motoko sheathed her sword with the same alacrity it had been bared. "Kuonji-san?" she asked. "Are you well?"

Shinobu's eyes widened; the chef looked a mess. Her eyes were red and her hair was mussed. Her clothing was disheveled, as though she'd slept in it. Or hadn't slept at all, considering the bags beneath those red eyes. "Is Ranchan around?" she asked, one hand rising to try and rub some of the fatigue away.

"He just left to take care of something," Motoko said apologetically. "I expect he'll return shortly. What seems to be the problem?"

Ukyou opened her mouth to say something, and then glanced from Motoko to Shinobu and closed it. Swallowing, she offered, "I can tell you that I think that Minami was kidnapped, but that's all I've got. Ranchan's a good tracker, so I'm ... hoping he can find her for me."

"What makes you think she was kidnapped?"

"Because Minami's a good girl, and wouldn't abandon her little sister," Ukyou said, shaking her head. "I checked with the police. I've filed a missing person's report. I spent all of yesterday asking after her. When her sister called at lunchtime to ask if Minami was there, I knew something was wrong. I've been searching since then."

"Who's taking care of the girl?" Motoko asked.

"My father's watching over her at my restaurant." Ukyou shook her head suddenly. "Anyway, when do you think Ranchan will be back?"

"Let's go inside," Shinobu suggested. "He will come back soon, I'm sure. I can make you some tea while you wait."

"Yeah," Ukyou said after a moment, nodding with a sigh. "Tea would be good."

XXX

The mists had vanished for the moment. That curious month of no mystery sat heavily on the inn, and Haruka wondered what changes they would bring. In a week, possibly two, they would come back and play with the sakura blossoms, wrapping the ward once more in its cloak. But something ... the wa of the inn was shifting curiously. Enough that she could feel it from where she sat.

Grunting, she pulled a cellular phone from her pocket and pressed a single button. After a trio of rings, she heard, "Noriyasu. You point, I dig. What do you need?"

"Ah, I thought you'd quit the artifact retrieval gig," she murmured around her cigarette.

"Haruka-chan?" Seta asked. "Oh, well... I require paperwork to authorize anything I do, but yes. A job is a job."

"And a legit one is a better one," Haruka agreed. "Listen, things are heating up. I don't know what's going on, but I'm worried about Keitaro and the girls."

"And Oe?" Seta asked.

"Well, not nearly as much as you, but yeah," Haruka admitted. "Can you come down and stay around the inn for a week or two? I think I'd ... feel a little better if you were nearby."

"Wish it, and it will be done!" Seta enthused, before a momentary crackle of static sounded. Haruka checked her phone's reception briefly.

"You're breaking up," she said. "You're coming to Hinata, right?"

"Once I'm done with this minefield, sure," Seta agreed. "Give me a bit."

"Good. See you then." She hesitated, and then narrowed her eyes, glancing around to ensure no one was looking. Bad enough they see that she was plotting behind everyone's backs. For the moment, she had a greater secret to keep. "Take care, Anata," she murmured, using the familiar term of endearment.

He chuckled and said, "Okay. You too, Haruka-chan."

Then she hung up before she said anything else. "I'm not sure how, but everything that's going wrong here is Keitaro's fault," she mumbled. After a moment of hesitation, as she saw Ranma bounding up the steps carrying Mitsune in his arms, she added, "Or Oe's."

She closed up the empty teashop quickly, and got to the main room of the inn to catch the tail end of a conversation between the tenants and ... Ukyou? Haruka masked a frown. She liked the young woman well enough, but how did she fit into this?

"...help you track her, no problem," Ranma said. "I'm just worried about Kitsune. She looked kinda bad."

Haruka stepped closer, surveying the room. Keitaro and Naru stood together near the television, looking at Ranma and Mitsune curiously. Motoko leaned on a nearby wall, Shinobu standing at her side. Mutsumi sat on the couch, Mitsune's head in her lap. Ukyou stood just behind Ranma, arms crossed beneath her chest. Ranma knelt next to the couch, peering at Mitsune in concern.

For her part, the young woman was slack-jawed, not quite drooling in her sleep, but obviously slumbering deeply. Haruka's eyes narrowed and she brushed past Ranma, pushing the young woman's eyelids up and then checking her pulse. "Hmm," she mused. "She's not waking up. Her skin is turning slightly blue, and it's a bit cold to the touch. She's breathing at just under nine breaths a minute, and not very regularly."

A cautious sniff at her breath confirmed Haruka's suspicions. "She's drunk an awful lot, it seems. I think she's probably suffering alcohol poisoning - we should call an ambulance."

"What?" Ranma asked, blinking. "Why would she- Never mind." He motioned Haruka back and placed one palm on the woman's forehead, the other resting flat on her stomach. He concentrated for a moment and then shook his head. "I need a drink or else I can't do it."

"I can help!" Shinobu called eagerly, vanishing into the kitchen. She returned with a sake bottle a moment later, Sara and Suu in tow. Ranma accepted the bottle and downed it in an instant, grimacing afterwards.

"Here goes nothing," he murmured, placing his hands on Mitsune again. This time, he erupted in blue fire, which quickly spread to surround Mitsune. Even though the flame touched her, Mutsumi seemed unaffected, merely putting a hand on the younger woman's shoulder. The fire around Ranma winked out quickly, but the one around Mitsune intensified into a blinding blaze. It took nearly a full minute to vanish, and when it did, Mitsune was sweating profusely, but still unconscious.

"You're sending her into shock," Haruka noted critically.

"Ain't done yet," Ranma said, catching his breath and then crossing his arms. He mumbled something Haruka couldn't catch and drew his hands apart. The dragon-scale bracers grated across one-another, tendrils of what looked like writhing white lightning erupting from the contact points and linking them. That white light surged across his bracers and up into his hands before vanishing.

Placing his hands on Mitsune once more, he said, "Third time's a charm."

And then he burst into flame, white, green, gold, and black. The colors swirled about him, white concentrated at his hands. The green quickly faded, but the black seemed to migrate and concentrate over Ranma's heart, streaks of it threatening and driving towards his hands.

"Ranma-kun," Mutsumi murmured quietly. Haruka doubted anyone but she and Ranma could hear it, especially as they were distracted by the pyrotechnics. The black receded to a tiny pinprick, and then Mitsune was wreathed in a halo of white fire. It faded, leaving her looking clean, comfortable ... and still unconscious. The light vanished from around Ranma and he sat back on his heels heavily.

Haruka peered at Mitsune critically. Her color was normal, and her breathing settled into a more regular pattern for a sleeping woman. She couldn't smell any alcohol in the air anymore, and a cautious touch showed that Mitsune's temperature was back to normal as well. "Nice work," Haruka decided. "How long will she be out?"

"A while," Ranma panted, collapsing to lie on his back on the floor. "Someone ... shake her until she wakes up and make her drink some water before she passes out again."

"Oe-sensei?" Motoko asked. "Are you well?"

"Will be in a bit," he mumbled. "Ucchan, you mind if I catch my breath before we hunt for Minami?"

"That's fine, Ranchan," she said agreeably. "Um. Just to let you know, my father's in town, so-"

"I'll just splash myself before we go, then," Ranma murmured, his eyes drifting closed.

Ukyou nodded, and Haruka surveyed the tableau for a moment. "Okay," she announced. "Ranma's going to be out for an hour at least. Shinobu, could you please get me a pitcher of water for Kitsune? Motoko, would you and Kuonji-san be so kind as to take Ranma to his room? Kuonji-san, once you're done, I've got a futon in the guest bedroom at the teashop you can use until he wakes up. I'll show you to it."

"Thanks," Ukyou mumbled tiredly, gathering Ranma up in her arms before Motoko could offer to assist. Turning to the kendoka, she asked, "Which way?"

Motoko frowned slightly, but shrugged. "Follow me," she said, while Shinobu rushed to the kitchen for some water. Sara and Suu both melted into the ether after Shinobu, leaving Haruka alone with Mutsumi, Keitaro, and Naru. And Mitsune, but she didn't think the newly restored young woman was cognizant enough to matter at the moment.

"Keitaro," Haruka said, narrowing her eyes. "I know you've been practicing with Seta while you were on that island. I'm going to let you have that sword you used during the play. I think you might need it." His only response was to look very confused. "Mutsumi, thank you for watching over Oe. I doubt he pays enough attention to his own well-being."

"I think it's charming," she murmured in reply. "But yes. If he won't take better care of himself, I suppose I'll do it for him."

"What about me?" Naru asked, glancing between Keitaro and Mutsumi.

"Keep your eyes open," Haruka advised. "I think things are about to get very interesting."  


* * *

Author's notes: Previously, this was chapter 17. The previous chapter 16 was simply added to the existing chapter 15 (Pararakelse is an extended OAV ep, instead of a two-chapter arc. Meh.). And now, one, maybe two more chapters to conclude. I think just the one!

And then maybe some epilogues. 


	18. Home and Away

After being led to Ranma's room, Ukyou took a minute to put the man in his bed, and then another to tuck him in. After that, the okonomiyaki-chef tried to stifle a yawn and sat back against a nearby wall, watching over him.

"Are you tired?" Motoko asked, taking a position up by the door, where she could see her teacher easily and still hear anyone coming down the hall.

Ukyou flinched, blinking and turning to look at Motoko in surprise. "Forgot you were there," she mumbled. "Yeah. Kinda. I haven't slept all night, and I spent most of the evening trying to find Minami."

"I can show you to the teashop if you'd like to rest," the kendoka offered.

"I can just sleep here," Ukyou murmured, eyes drifting shut.

"It would be unseemly for me to let another woman sleep with my sensei," Motoko protested. "Please, Kuonji-san-"

"Oh, no," Ukyou groaned, shaking her head without opening her eyes. "You, too?"  


* * *

Diamonds in the Rough - Chapter Seventeen - Home and Away

Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine. That's all.

Note: I screwed up and thought that Ranma was introduced to his mother before the Shishi Houkodan arc. Erm. Assume that it's an alt, and my thoughts are correct for this story (because they are). -_-  


* * *

Motoko fought down the blush she could feel coloring her cheeks. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked tersely.

"You're jealous," Ukyou surmised, opening her eyes and fixing the girl with an accusatory stare. "You don't want to leave me alone with Ranchan."

"T...t...that's preposterous!" Motoko protested, her face now burning. Ukyou smirked, but before she could follow up, the kendoka added, "And what do you mean 'too'? Or is there something to validate my concern - if such exists?"

Ukyou's face colored and she slumped, staring at the floor. "Alright," she sighed. "Let's let Ranchan rest - I don't want him to wake up and hear this."

Motoko agreed; shortly the two were in Haruka's teashop, though the woman in question was occupied with combing through an atlas of Sri Lanka at one end of the main room. Motoko picked a table in the opposite corner and sat down, Ukyou quickly following suit.

"So you fell for him too?" Ukyou asked, pouring a cup of tea.

"W...well, he does have a certain rough sort of charm," Motoko admitted, feeling her face warm up again. "I had thought at one point that I had... There was... That it was someone else."

"Hey, I spent ten years chasing him down for revenge, and he got me to fall for him by saying I was cute, so don't expect me to judge you for that," Ukyou sighed. "I thought it'd be easy to be upset with him for abandoning me again, but after hearing what he went through ... and seeing what he's done ... I can't really..." Ukyou trailed off with a grimace. "Well. It doesn't matter, I guess."

"Oe-sensei has told me he doesn't care for me," Motoko said quietly. "At least ... not in any sense beyond a student."

"I think that's more than I got," Ukyou said with a sad smile. "I'm just glad that he seems to be happy for once, though."

After a moment of hesitation, Motoko nodded, admitting, "I must agree with you. Oe-sensei once asked me to learn from his mistakes. He has not ... told me all that he wishes me to learn from, but I have endeavored to become close enough to him to try. It ... is a funny thing, I think, having watched others. There is ... a couple I know of, who fought constantly. I believe that their issue was that ... she would not listen to him, and he would not explain himself well enough."

"Ironically, this sounds very familiar," Ukyou said dryly. "But anyway, Keitaro and Naru seem to be getting along now, right?"

Motoko twitched. "I had intended to be subtle. How did I betray them to you?"

"You live with Mitsune, and she likes to talk."

"Oh. Right. I suppose there's no point to pretenses, then." A brief grimace and a headshake punctuated the kendoka's pause. "Regardless, I think it was because Oe-sensei was here that Keitaro-san learned to explain himself, and maybe that Narusegawa-san learned to listen. Until he ... was willing to leave the inn to make me happy, I don't think I learned to listen to Oe-sensei myself." Motoko chuckled sardonically, glancing quickly to see that Haruka was still occupied and out of earshot.

Ukyou hid a smirk behind her teacup before asking, "Is that how you fell for him? He did something stupid and noble?"

"Don't cheapen it so!" Motoko protested, face reddening. "He was willing to sacrifice his wellbeing for my sake!"

"The ironic part is that you put more value on his wellbeing than he does. I bet you didn't fall for him then; that's just when you admitted it to yourself." Ukyou sighed and shook her head. "But he seems to like someone else so... Oh well." She rubbed her face briefly and muttered, "I can't believe I'm letting myself get so sidetracked; Minami's been kidnapped, and here we're rambling about Ranchan."

"Ah," Motoko managed, resisting the urge to cover her face; the glow would probably penetrate her hands and the table anyway. "Yes. Let us discuss that. You are certain she was abducted?"

"No, just really suspicious," Ukyou admitted. "It's not like her to vanish, and her little sister was abandoned. I can't think I'd hired someone who would do that."

"She didn't seem the sort when we met," Motoko agreed. "Well, does the girl have any enemies?"

Shaking her head, Ukyou said, "I asked Noriko all about that. If Minami does, Noriko doesn't know about them. And Minami certainly never told me, so..."

"Have you any enemies of your own, then?"

"This isn't Hyatto's style, and I can't think of anyone else." For a moment, the two contemplated in silence, then Ukyou added, "Though, come to think of it, Ranchan might."

"You believe that one of them might be behind this?" Motoko asked doubtfully. "The withered old troll, perhaps?"

"Not the pervert's style, either, and I think Ranchan's pretty much finished with him. Okay ... so, do you know who Kuno Kodachi is?"

"I have heard of the Kuno name," Motoko hazarded after a moment of thought. "I believe that Kuno Tatewaki is a kendoka of some renown; my sister has mentioned him to me in the past."

"That's right - his sister is Kodachi. Both of them chased Ranchan when he lived in Nerima. I don't think Tatewaki would kidnap someone - especially a girl, but Kodachi might. Then again, I never knew her that well, and that was years ago. But she's the only person I know of that could be responsible except..." Ukyou looked away, staring into her teacup thoughtfully.

"Except?" Motoko prompted.

"I'm not sure I can talk about this," Ukyou said quietly. "Now, Ranchan's been keeping his past to himself, and I respect that. So if this is something he hasn't talked about before..."

"Do you not have your own past to speak of?" Both broke off from their conversation before Ukyou could reply, glancing at the teashop entrance as Mutsumi and Naru walked in.

"Oi," Haruka called, setting her atlas down. "What's up, you two? Just coming by for tea?"

"Keitaro wanted to ask if you'd seen his sword," Naru replied doubtfully. "He's tearing apart his room, so I thought I'd come with Mutsumi when she said she was coming down."

Haruka's gaze swiveled to Mutsumi.

"Oh, I wanted to say thank you for all the drinks you gave us last time," Mutsumi said, clapping her hands together softly. "And also to let you know that I don't think Ranma-kun will be waking up today."

"And how do you know that?" Haruka asked, pulling her cigarette from her mouth and raising an eyebrow challengingly.

Naru turned to Motoko and said, "Um, just to let you know ... your sister came by."

"And you left Oe-sensei alone, unconscious, with her?" Motoko asked, rising to her feet quickly enough to knock her chair over.

"Oh, my, is that a problem?" Mutsumi asked in surprise. "Shinobu and Suu are talking to her right now."

"Is your sister dangerous?" Ukyou asked cautiously.

"Only to Oe-sensei, and only in the sense that you and I would be," Motoko admitted, righting her chair and sitting back down. "But if Sensei will not wake today, you should rest. We can speak later, I'm certain, and you will want your strength to seek Minami."

"Point," Ukyou acquiesced. "Where's that bed, now?"

XXX

"I deem this a trap," Motoko surmised, staring at where Ranma's tracking skills had led the group.

Ranma grunted, rising from a crouch and peering across the area, ignoring the others for the moment. Motoko and Ukyou stood an equal distance away from him, five paces; the kendoka on the left, the chef on the right.

"I gotta agree, Sugar," Ukyou said, shaking her head.

Seta rested one hand on the hilt his sword. "I'm thinking you're both right. What shall we do then, Oe-kun?"

"Well," Ranma said slowly, "I can probably track a train better than a boat."

Motoko turned about and surveyed the boarding platform for the train station. As a hub of traffic in and out of the region, and especially for the Hinata district, hundreds of trains passed through it each day.

"Tracking won't be so terribly hard," Seta said with a shake of his head. "I'm sure I can pull some strings with the Guild to check out the security footage."

"The what?" Ukyou asked, looking at the man sidelong.

"The Archeologists' Guild," Seta clarified.

"Okay, okay," Ranma said, shaking his head and turning his back to the trains. "So, you all think this is a trap. If that's the case, they're trying to ... what, get Ucchan away from her restaurant? I don't get why someone would do this. Did Minami have any enemies?"

Ukyou and Motoko exchanged a glance. "None that we know of," they said together.

"Then if it's not an enemy of Minami's, who would stand to benefit from kidnapping her?" Seta asked.

"Well... She doesn't have much money, and I didn't get a ransom note - neither did Noriko. There aren't a lot of thugs or anything in our area ... it's a pretty low-crime district." Ukyou frowned. "So, I figure that someone knows that I'm friends with Ranchan here."

"Hence my own thoughts that this was a trap; Oe-sensei, regardless of if you intended it, you have some renown. Happosai has followed you, as did Kuonji-san. What others might come after us?" Motoko asked.

Ranma flinched. "Damn it," he grumbled. "I promised I wouldn't bring trouble with me."

"Don't blame yourself," Ukyou said, shaking her head. "Minami was my employee, and I should have kept a closer eye on her instead of fee..." She coughed quietly and cleared her throat. "Anyway, I made a mistake and came to you for help. It's not your fault."

"Okay," Ranma mumbled, rubbing at his temples. "I'm pretty sure that Tarou would have sent a note, and we don't fight anymore anyway - his grudge is with Happosai, not me."

"Who?" Motoko asked, blinking. "I've never heard of this person."

"From what _I've_ heard, you should be happy," Ukyou said darkly.

"Yes," Seta agreed. "Not a charming lad by any sense, if we're speaking of the same Tarou."

"Anyway, what about Ryouga?" Ukyou asked with a frown.

"I'd know if it was him," Ranma said tightly. "Shan Pu went back home, so Mu-Si's got no reason to do this... So who else is there?"

"Kuno!"

"You're giving him too much credit," Motoko's teacher replied dryly.

"The other Kuno."

"Oh!" Ranma cocked his head to one side and closed his eyes, considering. "Maybe," he finally allowed. "It could be her, but I'd expect to hear something from her about it ... and why would she go after Minami, anyway? I'm sure she'd let me know she was around before she did anything."

"Well, if it were Kasumi's sister, I'd expect Akane to go straight after you. Unless you've got more enemies I don't know about..." Ukyou trailed off with a shrug. "Someone wants me to chase after Minami, though."

Ranma flinched and said nothing.

"And I think they want you to take Oe-sensei with you," Motoko added. "I don't intend to offend you, Kuonji-san, but I think it is him, and not you who is the target here."

"She was dragged off by a woman," Ranma mumbled. "There wasn't much of a fight."

"Minami's not much of a fighter," Ukyou sighed.

"Well, she still struggled. Then she was dragged here and put on a train. So assuming I fall for this trap, what happens? I chase out of the city after Minami with Ucchan and ... then what?"

"You leave the inn with Noriyasu-san and myself still easily able to defend it," Motoko surmised. "Obviously then you will find trouble and plenty of it; the strength of your enemies is not enough to overcome us, so you're led away."

"You're trying to tell me I need to stay here," Ranma realized. "You don't want me to go after Minami."

"Hey!" Ukyou protested, rounding on Motoko. "I need help, here! You can't just keep Ranchan from helping me out when I need it the most!"

"Then take me in his stead," the kendoka offered. "He can stay here and watch over the inn. I will go with you."

"Motoko-chan," Ranma protested, "I know you've trained a lot, and you've gotten much better-"

"I realize I'm not an ideal replacement for you," Motoko said, shaking her head. "But remember that you are the target here, and I am not."

"If there is a trap being set for me, I'm not going to let my best friend and my best student walk straight into it," Ranma growled.

"I'll go, too," Seta decided. "I think Motoko-chan is right. It seems reasonable to think that this is a trap for you, and that if she and I go with Ukyou, we can overwhelm whoever thinks to take advantage of you being away from the inn."

"B...but," Ranma tried to protest, before Ukyou sighed and stepped closer, dropping a hand on his shoulder.

"Just let us go, Ranchan," Ukyou said with a weak smile. "I want your help, but I'll be damned if I'm going to pull you into a trap - not if I can help it."

"Yeah, but now I've gotta stay in town with your dad ready to beat the tar out of me if he even knows I'm around!" Ranma grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "And ... what if something happens? Something that should have happened to me, but it happens to you instead?"

"Minami's my employee," Ukyou said insistently. "I'm not being left out of this."

"And this trap is about me, so neither am I!" Ranma said, shaking his head.

"But a challenge to the master is a challenge to the school, and I am nothing if I am not enough of your student to step in here," Motoko warned. "Did you not just say I was your best?"

"I think you should probably quit now," Seta said with a wink. "The Guild will let us track Minami from here, and the longer we wait, the further away she gets."

"Fine," Ranma sighed. "I'm just ... gonna be real unhappy if anything bad happens to either of you two. Noriyasu-"

"I promise I'll watch over them for you, Oe," the man said solemnly, before Ranma could continue. "I give you my word on my family's good name. Now hurry to the inn, in case this is somehow a diversion. I'll bring both of them back as long as you can promise me that Haruka's inn is still standing to bring them back to."

"Fair's fair," Ranma allowed, shaking hands with Seta. "I don't like it, but ... good luck."

"Thank you," Ukyou and Motoko said in tandem.

XXX

Mitsune awoke shortly after sunrise, staring at the bright lights playing across the ceiling. "Man," she groaned, sitting up and surveying her room quickly. She hadn't been too badly off to make it to bed, whatever had happened. "That was one hell of a bender."

Clothing was gathered as she tried to piece the previous ... evening together. It was actually more of an afternoon, from what she could recall. She'd met a woman who'd been jilted by her lover, and then they'd gotten to drinking and telling stories of men that had gotten away.

Of course, this lead to rather more blathering about Ranma than Mitsune had intended, in retrospect. As she slid the door open and shuffled to the hall, she reflected that the other woman hadn't actually drunk much, for all of the drinks she had bought.

In fact, it was the untouched alcohol which had been offered to her that had ended her memory with a patchwork of incomplete images, among them Ranma wreathed in a flaming white nimbus. "I gotta cut down," she mumbled, making her way to the kitchen without encountering anyone else.

Shinobu was already there as usual, bustling away at the dishes with her standard efficiency. A plate had been left at the table. "Good morning," the girl called, not even looking over her shoulder. "Are you feeling better today, Kitsune?"

"Peachy," the woman replied, sitting before the meal and sampling it. "Thanks, Shinobu - delicious as usual. Where's everyone else?"

"Ah..." Shinobu finished the last dish she was working on and then turned around, a contemplative expression in place. "There's no school today, so Koara and Sarah are helping Haruka go through all of those old outfits in the teashop attic. Keitaro, Naru, and Mutsumi are studying in the front room with Motoko's sister."

"Motoko's sister again? Then where's Motoko and Oe? Training trip to avoid her?" Somehow, Mitsune didn't like the idea of Motoko and Ranma being off alone somewhere. It reminded her far too much of the time the kendoka had run into her room claiming that the teacher had fallen in love with his student.

"Ah, no..." Shinobu bit her lower lip, then explained, "They're with Ukyou and Noriyasu-san, trying to find Minami."

"Ah," Mitsune mumbled, nodding. "Minami's a good girl - where'd she get off to?"

"Ukyou-san thinks she was kidnapped."

Mitsune blinked. "Sounds like a job for Ranma," she decided, pushing her plate away from her. "I guess things'll calm down here for a while. Maybe he'll have a good story when he comes back."

"Well, no more adventures for me," Shinobu said with a frown, shaking her head. "Not if I can help it."

"Watch what you say," Haruka advised, slipping in through the side-door. "I think I said the same thing when I was your age."

"Uh-oh," Shinobu said quietly.

Haruka pulled a cigarette from her apron and put it to her lips. "Anyway, I just came by to drop off the mail."

"Anything for me?" Mitsune asked.

"Nope," Haruka said, sorting through the stack quickly. "Something for Keitaro, something for Oe, and ... something for Mutsumi from her family."

"Oe?" Mitsune asked. "How long will we wait to read his mail this time?"

"Ah, it's just junk," Haruka said, shaking her head. "From Nerima - some family-owned dojo. Probably a job offer or something."

"A dojo?" Ranma asked, slipping through the door. He continued past Haruka, taking the envelope from her hand in the same smooth motion. For her part, the woman removed the cigarette from her lips and turned a very cool look on Ranma.

Mitsune blinked. "You're here!" she blurted out. "So, uh ... found Minami already?"

"No," he grumbled, sticking the envelope into his notebook without looking at it. "Ucchan and Motoko sent me back - said they wanted to go on with Noriyasu instead because they thought it was a trap for me."

Haruka's cool expression was swiftly replaced with irritation. "That sounds like Seta," she mumbled. "What did you find out?"

"Not much," he said, shrugging. "Minami was hauled off by a woman, onto a train. Noriyasu said he'd use his Guild connections to find out more."

The woman sighed, rubbing at her temples. "There he goes, treating it like a rival archeologist. Well, I did ask him to help. With luck, he'll bring Ukyou and Motoko back sane. The last time I went on an expedition with him we ended up fighting against the Magnificent Ten."

Ranma blinked. "Noriyasu said he'd take care of them," he offered. "Who are the Magnificent Ten?"

"He'd better," Haruka grumbled. "Or else when you're done, I'll take a crack at him. And the Magnificent Ten are a story for another day." Ranma stared at Haruka for a moment before she rolled her eyes and said, "If you're going to take the mail before you talk to me, you might as well take care of this, too." She flicked the remaining envelopes to Ranma, and he deftly snatched them out of the air.

"Mutsumi and Keitaro?" he asked, glancing at the names. "No problem." He turned and trotted down the hall.

"I think he'll be running into Motoko's sister right about ... now," Haruka predicted, her last word punctuated by a strangled yelp of protest from the front room.

Shinobu shook her head, producing a tea set from the cupboards. "Would you like something to drink, Haruka-san?" she offered.

"Nah. I've been here long enough," the woman said with a sigh. "I'd better get back to the old tea-mine before Suu and Sarah tear it apart. I'll talk to you later, Shinobu-chan."

Mitsune smirked, once the older woman had gone, leaving just herself and the younger girl in the kitchen. "I'm suddenly glad for Naru that she likes Keitaro instead of Seta, now," she said. "I don't think she'd have a chance against a woman that devious."

Shinobu blinked, then her eyes widened. "I don't think any of us would," she surmised. "I'm going to bring Aoyama-san some tea."

"Oooh!" Mitsune enthused. "I forgot all about that! Let's watch the fun."

XXX

Keitaro put his letter down with a frown. Naru was at his side at the front room's main table, Mutsumi sitting opposite her, and Tsuruko opposite from himself. "Thank you for..." he began, before trailing off. Ranma had entered the room, handed over an envelope for the manager, and then another for Mutsumi.

Somehow, while Keitaro had distracted himself reading through his parent's congratulations on successfully getting into Toudai, the martial artist had planted his face in the elder Aoyama's cleavage. From the grip that she had on him, he wouldn't be getting away anytime soon, and from Tsuruko's smile, she preferred it that way.

"Oh," Mutsumi sighed with a smile, putting her own letter down. "My family is proud of me for making it in! Did you get a letter from your brother, Ranma-kun?"

Tsuruko released Ranma long enough for him to gasp out, "This spin is rooming," before she attempted to hug him again. This time, however, Mutsumi managed to snag the man away from her.

"Ranma-kun?" Mutsumi asked, pressing his face into her chest while she hugged him tightly. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

"Er... I think he needs to breathe," Naru offered.

Mutsumi and Tsuruko looked at her in surprise, the college-bound young woman releasing Ranma to the floor, where he panted out, "It's full of stars," before slumping and lying still.

"Oh, dear," the kendoka sighed. "Well, no matter. Ranma-kun, have you seen your brother lately?"

"It's so beautiful," he slurred, sitting up laboriously. "We should have sent a poet!"

"You're okay!" Mutsumi cheered, promptly seizing Ranma and smothering him again.

"Maybe I am a bit too enthusiastic," Tsuruko murmured, when Ranma was able to breathe properly once more. "But ... no matter. I only came by to ask how your training of my sister was coming, Ranma-kun. I imagine you'll be very busy with college soon."

Ranma swallowed, and quickly outlined the situation with Ukyou, incidentally updating Keitaro and Naru as well. "A trap for you?" Naru asked, incredulous. "And you let two girls go in your place? Oe..."

"They insisted!" Ranma protested. "So did Noriyasu!"

"I suppose," she relented. "Nothing could go wrong with him to look after them."

"Haruka said something like that," Mitsune contributed, walking into the room after Shinobu, who was carefully bearing a heavily laden tea tray.

There was momentary silence until Shinobu had finished presenting everyone with a teacup and seated herself next to Naru.

"This sounds a fitting test," Tsuruko decided, nodding. "If she passes, then I think it will be time for her to move back home. A new term will be starting then, so she should not have to worry about missing classes, and then you'll be free to study."

"Uh," Ranma began, before he faltered and turned to offer the floor a stupefied expression.

"W...well, Oe-sensei's still training us," Shinobu offered quickly, when the man fell silent. "So he wouldn't really have any more time free with Motoko gone."

"Really?" Tsuruko asked. "Well, I wouldn't want to feel as though my family was responsible for holding you back, Ranma-kun. I don't think Motoko-han should be a part of that forever; I want her to learn from you, but it's the family style she must master ... and eventually, of course, teach."

Ranma flinched, but nodded slightly. "If you think she's done," he said neutrally. "When ... she gets back, ask her."

"But you are her teacher," the woman pressed, when Shinobu opened her mouth to speak again. "It is your prerogative to decide if she's ready, Oe."

Ranma rubbed at his forehead. "I think that Motoko's learned all I can teach her," he said, not looking up. "Unless she wanted to learn Anything Goes, or the Oe Ryu."

"And there you have it," Tsuruko said, nodding to herself in satisfaction. "Motoko will return home. Unless something should arise..." Here Ranma did look up, studying Tsuruko guardedly. "Well, I trust it won't. But Motoko will want time to say goodbye. I'll expect to see her at the same time you are attending your opening ceremonies, Ranma-kun. Ah ... sadly, I won't be able to be there. But I'm certain that all will work out for you. Now, I truly must be off." She rose, bowed to everyone in the room, and glided out the exit.

"You're letting her get away!" Mitsune protested. "Oe, you can't just give up Motoko like that! Well, actually, you could. But it wouldn't be you! What's going on here?"

"Yeah," Naru chimed in, nodding earnestly. "You two always talk about Motoko like she can't make her own decisions - at least, to each other."

"Hey, neither of you tried to stop her," Ranma grumbled. "And Tsuruko is right; I don't have anything else to teach Motoko-chan. Not really. I've opened her eyes, but she's ... got her own heritage to take care of. She doesn't need ... mine."

"M...maybe I can talk to Tsuruko," Keitaro offered. "Convince her to-"

"Forget it," Ranma overrode him. "She can give any order she likes. It's really up to Motoko-chan if she's going to do what her sister says."

Keitaro blinked, digesting that. "Do you think that Motoko would disobey her older sister?" he asked cautiously.

"Didn't she run away from Tsuruko-chan to come here?" Mutsumi asked cheerfully.

"She did!" Mitsune agreed. "Who told you?"

"Good girl's exercise number one."

"Some day, I think you'll need to explain that to me, Turtle-girl."

"I disagree," Mutsumi said politely, offering a bright smile. "Anyway, I think Tsuruko-chan was giving a warning that she expected Motoko-chan to go back home."

"I don't think she wants to, though," Mitsune said, frowning. "Why do you say 'warning'?"

"Because she expects Ranma-kun to tell Motoko to leave."

"So it wasn't really a warning for Motoko at all!" Keitaro finished brightly. "It was a warning for Ranma!"

"Yes," the man said dryly. "I'd noticed. Thank you, Keitaro."

The manager winced. "I did it again," he muttered. "Er ... sorry, Ranma."

"But now that we've come this far ... what are you going to do?" Naru asked.

"Not worry about it," he said dismissively. "There's nothing I can really do now anyway - it's Motoko's choice."

XXX

"You're sure she's in Hokkaido?" Ukyou asked, glancing out the windows at the swiftly passing scenery.

"Positive," Seta affirmed, rummaging through a bag set on the seat next to him until he could produce a large map of the island, which was quickly unfolded to occupy the majority of the space in the cabin.

"The footage was quite clear," Motoko said from somewhere behind the map. "Even if Minami's assailant was well concealed."

"If Ranchan didn't say it was a woman, I'd be able to tell that much," Ukyou offered, frustrated, "but that's about it."

"She knows some basic martial arts," Seta offered.

"Well, of course," Ukyou and Motoko replied in tandem, before the kendoka cut herself off.

"But we all noticed that," the okonomiyaki chef finished.

"She also dresses inconspicuously in a trench-coat and fedora," Motoko continued, while Seta meticulously folded the map down into a single meter-wide section. She straightened out her uwagi and shot the folded paper a baleful glare. "But while there was no sound on that image ... Minami did not appear to be protesting aloud."

"So you think Minami might be part of this, just playing along?" Ukyou asked, frowning. "That doesn't seem like her."

"I didn't mean to suggest that," Motoko said, shaking her head.

"It does mean that our kidnapper figured out some way to get Minami to be quiet, though," Seta said with a frown.

"They could have threatened her," Ukyou reasoned. "Or her sister."

"Reasonable enough," Motoko sighed, looking out the window. "When will we reach the Tsugaru Strait?"

"About an hour from now," Seta said, studying the map. "We'll get off at the same station her train expressed to and check the security footage there."

XXX

The winter chill was carried on the breezes, making the rooftop inhospitable. Because of that, Keitaro stayed inside and admired the season through the window.

Tsuruko had not long ago vanished from sight, presumably towards the train station. Since then, the manager had mulled the situation over, wondering what would come of Motoko's situation.

These ruminations were interrupted by the phone. He answered it quickly, greeting, "Thank you for calling Hinata-Sou, this is Urashima Keitaro, how can I help you?"

"Sempai?" the voice on the other end asked through a crackle of static. "This is Motoko."

"Ah!" Keitaro looked around frantically; Ranma had gone down to Haruka's shop to speak with her about something or another. "Ranma's not here, I can go-"

"There's little time," Motoko interrupted, just before all sound was cut off in a squeal of shrieking noise. When it faded, her voice cut in, suggesting to Keitaro that she couldn't hear him at all. "...the pass. We're headed there now, and should be back within a few days, but we may get stuck in the snow. Noriyasu assures us that all will be fine, and..." Then another burst of static sounded, followed by nothing.

"Motoko-chan?" Keitaro hazarded to the silence. "Hello?" Only a buzzing disconnect tone sounded in reply, and he hung up with a grimace. A glance showed the source of the call as 'unlisted'. "Well, Seta-san has a cell," he murmured, checking the listing near the inn's communal phone.

A moment later he reached the archeologist's voice-mail and left a message asking him to call back. That done, he set the phone down again and turned to the task at hand: Giving what he'd gotten of the message to Ranma.

XXX

A whistling wind bore another flurry of snow towards them. Ukyou shivered against the cold and raised her spatula to block off some of the wind. "Did he get it all?" she called.

"I believe so," Motoko replied, her voice raised to carry as she emerged from the tiny phone booth. "Is this truly the only means of communication this village offers?"

"Noriyasu's got no signal on his cell," Ukyou said with a shrug. "Let's get back indoors - we've got to cross the mountain tomorrow, and if there's heavy snow, it's going to be slow going."

Motoko grimaced and nodded. Ukyou smiled, then paused to survey their surroundings briefly. The phone booth itself was surrounded on three sides by wooden walls which served as a wind-break, and a roof that didn't keep out the chill.

The village was so small that there wasn't even power, except for that which ran on generators. The single phone operated unreliably on a satellite uplink that had been installed some years ago. According to the villagers, high winds or thick clouds essentially kept it from working entirely, but they'd needed to try; the trail had come this far.

According to what Seta had learned from the Archeologist's Guild, Minami had gotten off the train and been met by a pair of burly men and a woman in a kimono. She had known to keep a folding fan between her face and any cameras, while the men wore low, wide-brimmed hats and kept their heads down.

All that could be gleaned was that they were going to a remote location in Hokkaido - the kind of place that could only be accessed irregularly in winter's snow, unless one had a helicopter. Seta had explained that this could be arranged, but not in the current weather. Ukyou didn't want to wait, and especially didn't want to give Ranma enough time to decide to catch up. Even if his tracking skills would certainly make things easier.

There were a few tiny cottages that weren't occupied, one of which Seta had rented. Motoko and Ukyou went there when they had finished enjoying the chill, and opened the door, pleased to see that the man had started a fire and the generator. He had spread out an alarming volume of papers across the room's single table, and was poring through them.

"So?" Ukyou asked, when Motoko went straight to the fire to warm her hands.

"It's one of those two," he said with a shrug. "Either she's gone to an exclusive hot-springs resort hidden in the heart of Hokkaido, or she's been captured by a band of ruthless thugs that are a part of a rival expedition. Or, I suppose, something I haven't thought of yet." He shrugged again, offering an apologetic smile.

"Minami wasn't struggling," Ukyou offered. "But somehow, I don't think she'd abandon her sister to go to a resort."

"Is there anything else around here?" Motoko asked. "Hokkaido's core is desolate."

"Which is why the Guild figures that someone's out here," Seta warned. "We don't know who, but there has been evidence of people out in the mountains. From surveys, we can guess where. But all of the records I'm going through for the area ... I'm sorry. There's just nothing more to go on."

"Well, Minami's not on vacation. We'll find out whoever thinks they can take her away, and what they want with Ranchan," Ukyou decided. "Tomorrow's going to be busy, so I'm going to get some rest."

"I wish that Oe-sensei could advise us," Motoko murmured quietly, bowing her head slightly.

"Sometimes we must learn to walk on our own," Seta said. "And you did ask him to stay behind, didn't you?"

"W...well... Yes," Motoko admitted.

Ukyou shook her head and opened the door to the room she was sharing with Motoko. "Don't worry about it too much," she advised the girl. "I'd like Ranchan to be here, too, but if they want to try and hurt us, then it's time for some indiscriminate beatdown. No time to worry about him; he's going to watch over everyone else, remember." She paused, then licked her lips and looked away, into the darkened room. "And ... Mutsumi can watch over him."

"Yes," Motoko murmured. "Of course."

XXX

Whistling to himself, Ranma ambled up the stairs from the teashop to the inn, sparing a backwards glance at a cry from Suu. "Mail!" the girl called, waving an envelope and charging up towards him, Sarah a half step behind.

He nodded, turning around in time to block a leaping kick at his torso from the little girl before she rebounded to land on both feet, envelope extended towards him. Sarah stopped short of launching an attack, merely looking at him curiously.

"Thanks," he said, taking the envelope from her and examining it. "Ah, a letter from Aniki."

"Neat! Is he coming again?" Suu asked, while Ranma produced his notebook and flipped through it.

"Not sure." Ranma paused when he came to another envelope, stuck between two pages and forgotten. Forcing away an uneasy recollection of the first letter he had sent Keitaro, he quickly jotted down a new note: 'Always read your mail as soon as you get it; it could be important.'

After that, he scanned over the return address on the previously forgotten letter, and felt his heart skip a beat. "The Tendo Dojo," he murmured.

"...okay, Ranma? Hmm. I guess letters can make Ranmas go catatonic. It just takes two letters to overload his buffer. Neat!"

He shook his head, forcing away the shock. Suu was peering at him intently, having produced a clipboard from somewhere to jot down notes of her own. "Sorry," he said, tousling the girl's hair and mussing it horribly. "I gotta see what this is."

She made an indignant noise as he leapt up the stairs to the courtyard before the inn, then rebounded to the roof. After slipping through a secret passage, he quickly made his way to his room and opened the letter, scanning it over:

Ranma,

Minami is fine. She's being kept at a resort and being taken care of well, which is more than I can say for your treatment of us.

If you want her back, meet me at the address on the other side of this letter on the seventeenth at 6:15 PM. Come alone, or I can't guarantee her safety.

Regards,  
Tendo Nabiki

His hand trembled as he lowered the page carefully to the tabletop, fearful of tearing it before he could copy the address on the reverse into his notebook. Then he folded the letter away and took a deep breath.

"Damn," he murmured, closing his eyes.

XXX

Keitaro looked up from his study guide, blinking as he saw Ranma marching towards the door through the front room. Before he could say anything, Mutsumi asked, "Oh, Ranma-kun, do you have time to study with us?"

"Really, can't right now," Ranma said absently, pulling on his shoes. "Maybe later." Without another word, he walked out the door.

Naru glanced around the room, though the only other people there were Shinobu, Sarah, and Suu, who were watching a rerun of Liddo-Kun and Friends. "That seemed different somehow," she said with a thoughtful frown.

"Yeah," Keitaro agreed. "Ranma hardly even noticed Otohime-chan. That's weird."

"Yep," Suu said, staring raptly at the screen, prompting Sarah and Shinobu to glance at her. The silver-haired girl shook her head. "Ranmas inevitably want to fix things. So something's probably broken that he's trying to take care of."

Naru stared at the young girl. "What?"

Suu turned to look at Naru, smiling sadly. "There's no wind, and no red moon, but I can feel fate."

"Oh, my," Mutsumi murmured. "This sounds ominous."

"I don't know what's going on, but after that - I'm going after Oe," Keitaro decided, pulling his still-sheathed sword from beneath the table and rising to his feet.

"You're not going alone," Naru said with determination. "I'm going, too!"

"Is there a party?" Mitsune asked, coming down the stairs. "What's going on?"

"We're following Oe," Keitaro announced.

"Right," Mitsune cheered. "I always wanted to do this! First thing first, though. Sarah, I need you to run to the teahouse and get us seven yellow kimonos and four farmer's hats. Hop to it!"

"Okay!" the little girl enthused, running off to follow the orders eagerly.

Surprised, Naru asked, "You've got a plan specifically to take this into account?"

"Nah," Mitsune said with a shrug. "Just to get rid of her. Let's run after Oe before she gets back!"

"I'll stay here," Suu decided. "It would be bad for me to be there. And I can keep Sarah from following. Good luck!"

With that, the remaining residents chased after Ranma, just glimpsed at the end of the stairway.

"We're lucky he's not on his bike," Keitaro announced, once they'd passed the teahouse, just managing to keep the martial artist in sight.

The procession followed with cautious deliberation, occasionally ducking into shops or alleys to avoid glances. Fortunately, Ranma's course was almost unwavering, save constant pauses to consult with a map.

"I wish we could get closer and see where he was going," Keitaro murmured.

"Why don't we want him to know we're following him?" Shinobu asked curiously.

"Um ... because he didn't tell us where he was going?"

"Looking back on it, that doesn't seem like a good reason to be doing this," Naru muttered.

Mitsune waved the complaint away, herding the crowd into another convenience store when Ranma paused to consult his map again. "It's fun," she said. "And anyway, we can claim we were just practicing some of his stealth exercises."

"As a group?" Naru asked doubtfully.

"What better way? It's a bigger challenge - he'll eat up that excuse."

Tamago nodded agreement from Keitaro's head.

"Anyway," she said, peeking out the door, "we- Oh, no! We lost him! He got away!"

The crowd spilled back out to the streets to peer around, but just as she had said, Ranma had vanished.

Shinobu sighed and shook her head. "We should have let him know we wanted to follow him," she said. "It's not very nice to do it in secret. I think he noticed and snuck away."

"Could be," Naru agreed. "Anyway, he's lost now, so-"

"Right!" Mitsune slammed one fist into the opposing palm. "Okay, here's what we do - Mutsumi, check down that street. Keitaro, I want you to go the opposite direction, see if he doubled back. Tamago, I need recon from the air. Naru, follow me - Shinobu, you wait here as a home base. First person to see Ranma doubles back and waves to Shinobu. If we see them waving back, we go to them because Ranma's been spotted. Go!"

"But," Naru protested, before Mitsune grabbed her hand and hauled her down the street. "Wait!"

Keitaro nodded. It might take all of them, but working together, he felt certain that they would find Ranma.  


* * *

Author's note: That last line took way too long. 


	19. Heroes and Villains

The wind-whipped snow reduced visibility to a minimum, and the howling wind made it hard to hear anything over its continued shrilling. Huddled close to a clump of battered pine trees, two figures crouched, wrapped in bulky suits of a furry brown material that kept out the cold. The suits included gloves, boots, and hoods, leaving only the gleaming surfaces of their visors to stand out.

"Okay," one of the figures said, his voice filtered by his mask, "so, if anyone thinks that they're getting in through this storm, they've got another thing coming!"

"Think," the other figure replied, his visor's focus whipping from the streaking snow to his partner.

"What?"

"Think!"

"I am thinking! What are you talking about?"

"You've got it wrong. It's, 'they've got another think coming'. Not thing."

"What the hell? I've never heard it that way. Look, logically, it's 'thing'. 'Think' isn't grammatically appropriate in the second half of that statement. You're the one who's got another 'think' coming."

"Hey, don't complain to me about your improper nomenclature! It's quite obvious that the first clause indicates thinking, and so should the second!"

"It's not nomenclature, and don't pretend to correct my terminology when we're clearly discussing an anecdote! Look, it makes perfect sense that in the first instance one is 'think'ing, but in the second, they've conceived an event that's clearly not going to happen - thus, _thing_. Like an event. Not 'think'."

A third, much larger, though identically dressed figure burst through the snow and grabbed both of the smaller figures by their collars, hefting them from the ground. This voice was much harsher, still modulated through a mask as it demanded, "What's going on here? What do you think you're doing?"

"S...sir," the first figure managed, "w...we were just discussing proper use of the word 'think' versus 'thing!"

"Yeah," the second chimed in, "he's got his terminology all wrong!"

"It's an idiom," the third figure snarled. "Now keep an eye on the perimeter!"

The two smaller figures were unceremoniously thrown to the ground, while the larger whirled and stalked away.

"Heh, he called you an idiot."  


* * *

Diamonds in the Rough - Chapter Eighteen - Villains and Heroes

Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy), and Jackson Publick (Venture Brothers). The easel is mine. That's all.

Note: So, this probably comes across as a big-lipped alligator moment, but I've actually been plotting this since before the island arc. Seriously. If it's too much, pretend that only the final scene is real. :)  


* * *

Stalking back towards his camp, deep in the heart of Hokkaido, the fur-suited figure adjusted a button that flipped the view screen up, allowing angry, shadowed eyes to study his surroundings. They narrowed as they fixed on a path through the trees. Footsteps had been placed very carefully, and were almost impossible to spot, but there was no mistaking the trees and bushes that had been disturbed, shedding some of their snowy buildup.

"That's just great," he growled into one fist, raising a cigarette to his lips and igniting it. After taking a deep draw, he turned his head first to one side, and then the other, cracking his neck loudly twice.

He expelled a long plume of dark smoke, then flipped his visor back down, following the new trail. "Stupid pain in the..."

XXX

It had seemed when they first set out, that Seta had been very capable. Ukyou felt that it was a reasonable assumption, anyway - Ranma had thought highly of the man, and his 'Guild' contacts certainly seemed to provide a wealth of information. Where it had gotten sketchy was after the last village, once they had passed what Ukyou was starting to think was far beyond the reasonable range of civilization, he'd produced a number maps.

Varying resolutions of satellite pictures, for whatever reason. He picked a route down the mountain, leading Motoko and Ukyou from wind-break to wind-break, speaking very little except to note the likely existence of the 'enemy camp'. What exactly had she gotten involved in, where her employee had been kidnapped by people living out in some remote corner of Japan? This seemed somehow inexplicable even for the peripheral chaos in Ranma's life before.

So, she did her best to hide her steps in the snow. She and Motoko were of very similar skill levels at that. Seta was much better, and Ukyou was beginning to wonder what precisely it was that the 'archaeologist's guild' did.

After an hour of scrambling down the base of the mountain, they broke in a small hollow of snow-capped boulders, stopping to warm up and double-check Seta's maps. While he pored over the papers one at a time, cautious of losing them in the high wind, Ukyou retrieved a thermos she had thought to fill with hot tea before setting out from the last village.

At this point, it was only _warm_ tea, but in the biting cold, that was intensely welcome. No sense saving it, since it would only get colder, too... That left the trio somewhat restored - enough for Seta to decide on a specific course. They left their cover as the storm picked up, briskly moving from tree-to-tree, avoiding places he termed likely to contain 'sentries'.

Motoko looked grimly determined most of the time, but Ukyou was starting to suspect that the kendoka was just as bewildered as she was. It was Motoko who finally asked the question that Ukyou had been puzzling over in her head:

"If we are avoiding sentries, what is the plan when we reach the center of their fortifications?"

Seta paused at that, then turned around. At that time, they were in a small copse of evergreens, walls of whirling white drifting over the trees around them. He looked unhappy before saying, "If these are grave robbers or tomb raiders, then naturally we would need to notify the Guild."

"What about _Minami_?" Ukyou pressed, scowling. "I'm sorry, Noriyasu-san, but I'm not really concerned so much about the 'guild business' part."

The man seemed slightly startled for a moment, looking up from the map. "N...no, that's entirely fair, Kuonji-san," he agreed. "I do believe that these people either have Minami, or will know where she is. In the unlikely circumstances that they're not related to her disappearance, they _will_ know about local nefarious activities."

"The low elements band together?" Motoko asked, pulling her coat about her more tightly, looking between the two older martial artists curiously.

"I don't know about banding together, but aware of each other, absolutely," Seta agreed. "I'll admit, I erred towards confronting rival archaeologists because I'm in my element. This is something I've done many times before."

"Alright," Ukyou grudgingly agreed. Like it or not, the man was the only guide they had... "What's the plan, then?"

"We'll break into their central camp," Seta said, jabbing a finger at the map, indicating a cluster of hollows. "It's going to be in one of these three locations - this one specifically, if they've got an airship."

"Right," the okonomiyaki chef agreed doubtfully. "So ... we find their base, beat up some guys, and then make them tell us where Minami is?"

"That will be the plan," Seta agreed, rolling up his paper. "On the off chance that these are the abductors, I'll make a distraction, and you two should search the place. If Minami's not there, then we can start asking questions."

"Good," Motoko said, shivering.

"In the meantime, this cold won't do us any good - so let's hurry, alright?"

XXX

"You ever get the sensation that you're missing something really important?" Mitsune mused, hurrying through the streets, frantically looking around for some sign of Ranma.

"More often than not, lately," Naru muttered. "Hey, what do you suppose is going on with Motoko and Seta-san?"

"I dunno, I get the feeling that they're dealing with the real decoy," Mitsune grumbled, before looking up sharply. Tamago circled overhead, chirping excitedly and pointing down the street ahead of him. For just a heartbeat, both girls caught a glimpse of Ranma's signature braid as he rounded a corner.

Looking back down the street, she spotted Keitaro, Shinobu, and Mutsumi rushing to meet them.

"Onward!" Mitsune crowed, grabbing Naru's wrist and hauling her towards the one glimpse she'd gotten.

XXX

Though he wasn't really happy about how things had gone, Seta was pointedly loyal to the Archaeologist's Guild. The idea of some non-guild archaeologist finding cultural or historical treasures, and then keeping them for themselves bothered him greatly. He wondered if, just maybe, he was trying to put Guild business ahead of the safety of Ukyou's friend...

...but he couldn't help but come back to the idea that he _had_ to be confronting these people. That sense, finely honed from his own venerable teacher, didn't like to be ignored. In Seta's experience, much like his mentor's, ignoring it had never resulted in anything good.

His hunch that the unknowns had an airship had turned out to be correct - which he especially hadn't liked. The thing was massive, probably the third or fourth largest that he'd ever seen, not counting OSI headquarters or the Gretta Garbo. He thought it should be familiar, and at that size he should have recognized it ... but it was large enough he couldn't make out many details in the snow.

The airship suggested that they didn't have a camp at all ... and why would they? The ship was a mobile fortress.

Ukyou had been stymied by the appearance of the large craft, muttering about contacting the JSDF instead of taking care of it themselves. While Seta wouldn't have minded the backup, it was a given any large force would be detected, and then the mobile base would simply move away - spiriting off any chances of finding out what had been done with Minami.

Motoko furrowed her brow as they reached one side of the ugly metal construct - a wall of yellow-painted steel, with drifts of snow piled high against it. "I assume that this type of thing isn't that unusual?" she asked, turning to the other two.

"This is more Ranchan's field than mine," Ukyou answered, pulling a rope from her bag of supplies and securing it to one of her throwing spatulas. After tossing it out of sight into the white mystery, they listened cautiously for the sound of metal striking metal, but heard nothing. She tugged cautiously on the line, verifying that she'd somehow caught it on something.

Seta took the line and held it taught, before anyone could climb it. He stared up and frowned, where the rope vanished overhead. "I've seen larger airships, but I can't place this one," he apologized. "Let's hurry, though."

Ukyou nodded, gesturing him up the rope first. He pulled himself up against the battering wind, grunting as he crossed the lip of the craft, where the rope was digging deep into the snow covering the vehicle. As he rolled to his feet, he blinked, seeing the telltale cherry red glow not far away in the snow - not far from where the end of the rope had been secured.

"So," a voice grated out from behind the cigarette in irritable English. "You know there's a door?"

Seta hesitated, considering. "Listen," he called over the wind, "my name is Noriyasu Seta - and I am here to represent the Guild."

"Wrong answer!" the unseen smoker replied, releasing the rope he had been holding, letting the glittering steel of Ukyou's throwing weapon of choice snap back into the darkness, presumably sending the young women crashing to the snowbank below. Seta cursed, rolling through the snow and narrowly evading a spray of gunfire.

XXX

Much to her embarrassment, after the cord was cut, Motoko fell four meters in an unceremonious, surprised heap - or would have, had Ukyou not been there to catch her, only grunting slightly. "Crap," she swore, setting the kendoka down. "We've got to get in, or up."

Motoko swallowed, then pointed at a tree, not far away. "It's a jump," she called, "but it's high enough - probably."

Ukyou glanced over at the tree, then nodded her agreement, the two quickly struggling through the blinding wind until they reached the fir tree's icy trunk. The okonomiyaki chef was better prepared to deal with the unfriendly surface, simply driving her small throwing spatulas into the tree at regular intervals, swiftly creating a makeshift ladder. Shortly after that, the okonomiyaki chef made a determination, waiting until the wind was just right - then leaping into the snow.

It was impossible to tell if she made it - Motoko could only _just_ make out the bulk of the enemy fortress through the blinding white swirls. Hoping for the best, Motoko waited until the wind matched the conditions when Ukyou had leaped, and released herself, praying that it would work. For a timeless heartbeat, she was isolated, alone in the wind and snow, unable to see the earth below, the tree behind, or the landing platform ahead.

That heartbeat faded with a gust of wind swirling enough loose powder away for her to see the edge of the airship's deck, canting at a curious angle. With desperation, she drove her sword into the side of the ship, a spray of blinding sparks strangely echoed from below. A roaring rumble filled the valley, echoing from the nearby mountains, and the kendoka had just enough time to realize that the airship was attempting to lift off before the sound of gunfire and loud cursing echoed from above.

Someone was screaming something in unfamiliar English while she struggled to swing herself up to the deck, fighting for hand-holds on the smooth, freezing metal as the ship began to ponderously rise.

XXX

Ukyou landed on her feet, ducking into a roll and narrowly evading a spray of gunfire. She released an involuntary yelp, unlimbering her spatula from her back and turning to one side. The next spray of bullets reflected off the bulky metal of her chosen weapon - _not_ the intended design function, but a welcome discovery. Her attacker began shrieking furiously in English, too quickly for her to follow.

Not really wanting to leave herself exposed, she shifted to try and charge the man, realizing as she approached that the visored, armored figure was bleeding from the thigh. She swung her spatula around, cracking him over the head sharply. His helmet protected him - somewhat - so instead of being knocked unconscious, she just slammed him to the snow-covered deck.

This time, she _could_ follow his English, as he screamed, "That did _not_ just happen!"

Too much time wasted dealing with him, Ukyou determined, kicking his firearm off the edge of the ship's deck. He should be harmless, so she decided to turn her attention to Ranma's student. He'd never forgive her if she carelessly got Motoko injured! Driving her larger combat spatula into the deck of the ship, near the edge, she made herself a handhold, leaning over to look for the kendoka.

Motoko was just below, stuck to the side of the pitching ship by virtue of driving her own weapon into the side of the craft. Heaving a sigh of relief, Ukyou reached down to help the kendoka up, grabbing her hand. She was tensing to swing the girl up just as the man she was ignoring found a better use for his helmet as a makeshift club, and smashed it against the hand gripping onto her spatula.

She fell, eyes wide, but Motoko kept her grip, letting Ukyou swing down below her, then - with a grunt of exertion, swinging the older girl around, flinging her back up towards the deck. Ukyou turned with the girl's motion, recognizing Ranma's favored momentum-redirection-trick. A heartbeat later, she lit back on the deck of the ship, one strong tug hauling Motoko up after her.

The kendoka came up swinging, feet first, and kicked the still-cursing figure in the chest, sending him sliding back across the deck of the ship. Ukyou tore her weapon free from the deck, casting about as a trio of additional figures began to emerge from the swirling snow. "Can this get any worse?" Ukyou asked, just as the craft rose into the clouds, and visibility became even _more_ limited.

XXX

Deflecting bullets with a sword was technically possible, Seta knew. He'd even done it a few times, but in the grand scheme of things, it was significantly harder than just not being in the line of fire when the trigger was pulled. Auto-fire weapons were an entirely different ballgame, though - and Japanese swords specifically were designed to _cut_, not _block_. In point of fact, a blow to the flat of a katana was likely to shatter the weapon.

So he stuck with evasions for the most-part, changing direction mid-roll, and sticking to the ground. After a trio of bursts, all of them striking the snow too close to him for his own comfort, he managed to close with his opponent, realizing that the man was huge - unreasonably large. His visor was flipped up, revealing shadowed, glaring eyes, and a shaggy mane of blond hair. "You're the best the Guild could send?" the huge man snarled, driving one fist towards Seta's face.

He narrowly evaded - for his size, the blond man was _fast_ - but managed to slash his sword across the man's gun-hand, deflected by the armor. The blow was strong, though, and knocked the gun free from the larger man's hands. "Let's be reasonable," Seta declared, landing in a crouch, sheathing his blade.

The blond man's eyes narrowed even more sharply. "Yeah, you've got such a great history of that!" he retorted. "Seriously-" He cut off, both men looking towards the prow of the ship as a stream of incredibly loud swearing was heard.

"Yeah!" the unfamiliar voice cried out, the curses gone for the moment. "_That_ just happened! Two for the price of one! Too many cartoons, little Japanese-" He suddenly cut off with a retching sound, and then a limp body burst from the snow around them, sliding between the two of them.

"So," Seta said, frowning as he looked down at the unconscious, mustached form at his feet, "I suppose that means negotiation is out?"

The right-hook he received in response was unexpected, throwing him to the edge of the deck, just as a wall of fog covered the area.

He was dazed, out of his element ... and judging by the fact that someone had beaten up the large man's friend, the girls had made it aboard. That made them his responsibility, so he staggered to his feet, pulling the back of his wrist across his lip to wipe away the blood. "Hey," he called, slipping to one side as a fist emerged from the fog, to replace the space his head had just occupied.

He drove a fierce knife-hand into the exposed muscle of a bicep, catching a stunning backhand that threw him across the deck the other direction.

"Hey, _what_?" the blond growled.

"There are two girls here with me," Seta said insistently. He dove into the mists, making an educated guess based on the blond's voice. He guessed wrong; the blond man had expected the tactic, and when he landed, he was greeted with a punishing kick to the ribcage, sending him rolling across the deck of the ship again.

The blond man chuckled. "You're something else," he remarked. "Really, you think that _girls_ are going to make us look the other way?"

In as much pain as he was, that was enough for him to locate the burly blond hulk. He said nothing, moving to position, then charged, launching his knee into the giant's kidney from behind, then hooking one arm over the larger figure's shoulder. When the hulk spun, roaring in rage, Seta managed to pull his sword out in a single smooth motion, freezing the larger figure as the edge touched against his throat.

"They aren't with the Guild," Seta warned, knowing the standoff wouldn't last.

The only answer the blond man gave was a grunt of acknowledgement.

"Let's settle this between the two of us, and leave them out of it," Seta suggested.

The blond snorted, and Seta realized to his dismay, the point of an unfriendly combat-knife was already pressed against his side. "Alright; you're an entirely new flavor of crazy, but not outright evil," he growled. The two exploded apart simultaneously, ending their deadlock and sending the two into the fog.

XXX

Motoko kept with Ukyou, unable to tell where they were going, or what the ship was doing. The whirling snow seemed to have vanished, but the blinding mists were not helping matters. The okonomiyaki chef either had a better idea of where she was going, or was just not stopping. Considering the one deranged gunman they'd faced, and the sounds of Seta and someone else fighting - and yelling in English - that was probably a good idea.

They found other gunmen, too, but after the harrowing encounters so far, they didn't bother with anything other than quick take-downs. A sheathed blade made an excellent blunt instrument, and Ukyou's large spatula flicked discarded guns off the edge of the ship. They had taken down fifteen figures - all men, as far as Motoko could determine - when a blinding flash lit from above.

Used to the blinding dimness, the fog - everything but suddenly clear skies and unfiltered sunlight - Motoko had to squint, realizing that more _should_ be clear, but unable to force her eyes to adjust. More importantly, if the deck was clear, then any other dangerous men with guns would have uncovered line of fire.

Ukyou's curse suggested that she had realized this, too. She snapped a pair of tinted snow goggles out of her supply bag and pushed it into Motoko's hands. She eagerly pulled them on, adjusting to this change much more quickly. Once she could see, she surveyed the deck, realizing that the entire thing was clear, except for the prone forms of the men they had knocked down - and the distant, still fighting forms of Seta and another hulking figure in the same strange uniform.

The okonomiyaki chef charged towards the battle, and Motoko followed a half-step behind, momentarily boggled by the revealed bulk of the airship. The deck they had been standing on was flat, any variations hidden in the layer of snow that had settled on it. The massive face of the airship's bridge - an ominous structure that spanned the entire width of the deck - was capped with what Motoko was certain was an Egyptian feature. A sphinx's face, if she recalled correctly.

The absurdity was overshadowed by the fact that the meters-wide steel face was attached to a multi-ton flying machine, covered with psychotic gun nuts. Judging by the completely empty horizon - save the endless sea of clouds beneath the ship - they were going to need to find some way to get back down safely, too.

More importantly, Seta was involved in a losing fight against a man slightly taller, but at least three times as wide at the shoulder. A distant memory of the man's costume and the icon on the ship's unseemly bridge clicked into place. Motoko realized with grim horror that somehow - _somehow_ - they were dealing with a terrorist organization that had supposedly been destroyed years ago.

Fine, then, she decided, pulling ahead of Ukyou in her charge. Ranma may have been good at fixing things, but her role was to fight evil. The huge man before her was that, if anything was. Seta's face was bloodied, one eye promising to swell shut soon. The blond giant's nose streamed blood as well, and his left arm hung, seeming to move sluggishly. That was the mark of a pressure point strike ... but all of the pressure points in the world wouldn't help if the blond hulk knocked Seta out.

Just as the titan wrapped his arms around Seta's throat, Motoko entered striking distance, launching into the last attack her sister had taught her - and one that Ranma had helped her perfect.

There was a time and a place for everything ... and for once, she felt that she was in the right to use the technique. "Zanganken!" she declared, beginning her attack.

"No!" Ukyou cried, as Motoko's blade swept out, just as the titan swung Seta's body around to intercept the weapon.

XXX

Once visibility had cleared up, Seta found himself in the looming shadow of the airship that he wished he had recognized sooner. Certainly, he should have remembered SPHINX well enough from the time he spent in Bashtarl, working with the Big Nine to recover the last cultural records and artifacts from a civilization that might otherwise have been well and truly lost. He'd thought them stopped a long time ago ... but evidently, he was mistaken.

Worse, the blond titan was an unstoppable juggernaut, growling and gritting his teeth through whatever punishment Seta managed to land on him. Ultimately, the repayment in kind was too much for Seta, and the blond giant's rough hands wrapped around his throat. His vision had begun to grow hazy when he realized that Motoko and Ukyou were charging for him ... and he'd wanted to try and keep them out of trouble, too. Why would these terrorists resent the Archaeologist's Guild so much?

Before he could really wonder why, he felt his body being swung around, towards Motoko's oncoming attack. Unable to do much else he waited for the inevitable.

"...Ni-no-Tachi!" the kendoka concluded.

Despite the situation, Seta couldn't help but crack a smile at the technique - which passed through him harmlessly, before all of the chi reconvened, striking the blond titan with enough force to launch him through the air, breaking the pair apart. Seta rolled, unable to muster the strength to do much more than heave for breath. Ukyou quickly reached him, helping him sit up, but her gaze went to the giant.

The blast from Motoko's blade had launched the brute a dozen meters to slam into the steel structure of the bridge, beneath the massive, glowering sphinx's face. His clothing was shredded from the force, leaving him bare chested and clad in tattered, ragged pants. A steel plate, scarred with recent, still-glowing slashes, was secured to the center of his chest - seemingly with nothing more than a quartet of bulky rivets.

Despite being embedded in the side of the craft, the figure seemed - if anything - _more_ animated, shadowed eyes glowing with malevolence. "Alright," he snarled, wrenching himself free, dropping to the deck with a heavy thud, then drawing his knife from his belt. "No more friendly-" He cut off, eyes widening slightly as his gaze surveyed his fallen men.

"_What_ the hell!" he roared, incensed. Seta's smile widened slightly, but he remained where he was, conserving his strength. There was that, at least ... hopefully the large man was the most capable combatant present. If Seta and the girls could defeat him, he wasn't sure how much fight he'd have left in him for any reinforcements. "Seriously? _Seriously_? I believe that Shore Leave's down, and watching him get his sorry hide handed to him by a schoolgirl is kinda funny - but the rest of you, come _on_!"

Grudgingly, about half of the prone forms struggled to crouching positions, most of them pulling sidearms from their belts, while the others searched around across the deck for their weapons.

Seta's smile began to fade. "I say again," he called out, "these girls have nothing to do with Guild business - I don't know why you hate archeology so much, but-"

"Wait," the blond titan growled, eyes narrowing. "_Which_ Guild are you with?"

"The Archaeologist's Guild," Seta clarified, not reaching for his sword, while Ukyou and Motoko uncertainly regarded the armed men. "I'm an archaeologist."

The blond giant looked incredulous, but no less furious. "Well, fu-"

The rest of his complaint was blasted from audibility as the giant metal Sphinx's mouth opened a meter, exposing a massive speaker. A vaguely familiar voice blared, "Sampson! Stop screwing around! A cluster-" then a squeal of feedback, "of this proportion- Hold the deck, I'm coming down!"

"Oh, come _on_!" Sampson snarled, one eyebrow twitching.

XXX

Brock Sampson was not having a good day. Bad enough that he'd detected someone inside the perimeter, the forces he recalled hadn't convened in time to leave before the intruders reached the deck. That meant they'd been compromised, and a week-long hideout in the mountains, hunting down less desirable elements that had escaped even Guild control.

He'd been itching for a good fight, and the tether that had made it onto the airship's deck - mid-launch, no less - had seemed the ideal opportunity. So, he waited, and when the first attacker appeared, he initially fit the profile. Competent, intelligent, and not wearing a stupid costume. He'd asked the man to identify himself, and _counter_ to the profile, he said he was from the Guild.

That was enough for him. So, a fistfight - occasionally breaking down into a knife/sword fight - on the deck of a rising airship fit the bill. It seemed dramatically appropriate, and he'd thrown down the rope, leaving any reinforcements behind on the ground. At least, that was the hope, anyway.

When the clouds cleared and he could see, his opponent was an unreasonably fit, skilled fighter. Insultingly enough, the man even _seemed_ to be going out of his way _not_ to kill Brock in exchange. This annoyance, mostly because Brock couldn't fathom why someone would come so far only to back down at the last second, was undoubtedly the worst.

As angry as it was making him, he _did_ hold back.

He'd even found a way to seriously injure his opponent - using his allies for it - but that plan had _quite literally_ exploded in his face.

Well, more his chest, but nothing pissed him off more than the steel plate in his chest saving his life. It wasn't a weak point - it was his most armored point. He'd always prided himself on being a skilled, competent combatant ... having to rely on a piece of steel that did nothing more than hold him together was insulting, too. It wasn't the first time it had happened - that plate had stopped bullets, knives, an unexpected and very lucky punch, and now, strange attacks possessed only by Japanese schoolgirls.

That wouldn't have been too much of a problem. Man or woman, enemies were enemies, and the fight was the fight. The girl made a more obviously lethal foe...

...and that was when his superior officer demanded a ceasefire.

The plan was off schedule, they hadn't gotten anywhere, and now he was out a good fight. The only high point was the fact that Shore Leave really _had_ gotten beaten up by girls, something he would be bitter and whiny about for _weeks_. Those would be very entertaining weeks, but did it make up for being robbed of a fight?

He turned his dark, angry glare to the door to the bridge.

The lean, eternally cross visage of Hunter S. Gathers emerged from the portal as it opened, his shaded eyes sweeping across the scene, then fixing on the man Brock had been fighting. The stem of his cigarette holder swung to one side as his lips pursed together in a sour grimace. "Sampson!" he barked, turning to face the man. "This is a member of the Archaeologist's Guild! Do you realize how close you've come to violating the Jones Clause?"

"What, is that," Brock wondered aloud, "some crazy version of 'Rusty's Law' for international terrorism?"

"Yes!" Gathers snapped. "That's precisely what it is! Worse, this isn't just any archaeologist - this is Seta Noriyasu!"

The man - Seta - blinked at this, seeming to absorb the situation. "Yes!" he said in realization, nodding. "I recall that incident - I was still training under my mentor! Gathers-sa- Er, Mr. Gathers, it's good to see you again!" Helped by the two girls - who now looked _far_ too innocent and nervous, considering the beatings they had administered - Seta climbed to his feet.

"That's the same incident where the clause was formed," Gathers agreed, shaking his head in disgust. "But never mind that now - incident is still classified - should be forgotten by everyone involved!"

"I've done my best," Seta answered, before both men gave an eerily synchronized shudder. Brock grumbled and checked his pockets, unsurprised to find his cigarettes shredded by the blast he had taken.

"Alright, let's get to the point, civilian," the leader of SPHINX barked, crossing his arms over his chest. "What the hell are you doing assaulting our base of operations?"

"We're trying to find a girl who was kidnapped recently," Seta said apologetically, frowning. "We had no idea that there was a terrorist base hidden there."

"Counter-terrorist," Gathers returned, spreading his arms and making a gesture with one hand. "Strictly below radar. You're going to need to forget about this, in any case, and so is your Guild."

"Maybe we can work together," Seta offered. "If you're not interfering with business from my association, we might be able to exchange information."

"You've got worthwhile intel?" Brock asked doubtfully, raising an eyebrow.

Gathers shot him a glance, but ignored the question, turning his attention back to Seta. "You think we know about your kidnap victim?" he asked.

"It's a slim chance, but better than none," Seta said. "I _do_ happen to have extensive knowledge of the geographical features of this area."

"Is there really a reason to trust this guy?" Brock grumbled.

Seta squinted at Brock for a moment, then fumbled in his coat, giving a lopsided grin as he produced a pack of cigarettes from one pocket. The girls on either side of him looked confused and dubious as he made a gesture, flipping the pack across the distance to Brock, snaring a pair for himself in the same motion. He absently tucked the pair of brands back into his pocket and turned to regard Gathers. "If we talk fast enough, neither of these girls can understand our English," he said quickly. "So, tell me who you're after - or what they're looking for in the way of geographical and cultural details."

"It's got a name they'll know," Gathers countered, shaking his head. "Native to China - part of the ... 'large flame' association. Considered to be UN-killable - worked for a certain dazzling gentleman conductor who died at the last battle of Bashtarl."

Brock raised an eyebrow and found his lighter, still intact from the punishment. He would be somewhat surprised if an archaeologist could put together the identity of their target - but judging by his look of alarm, he _did_ recognize those clues.

"O...oh," Seta said shakily, frowning. After a moment of thought, he said, "There are eighteen nearby sites that would match the specific requirements, and all but one are within the auspices of Interpol jurisdiction. Ah ... in a sensitive area for my Guild, this is ostensibly concealed from international awareness as a site of cultural import."

"Spare me the red tape - would this place also be a suitable cover where victims could be retained for extended periods of time?" Gathers pressed. "Because if it is, there is a _very_ good possibility your friend is there." Brock inhaled, giving Seta a skeptical, expectant look.

Seta hesitated uncomfortably, then acknowledged, "A highly exclusive resort - deep in the mountains, all but inaccessible this time of year. However ... if this is who I _think_ this is - you can't do much more than scare him away, without her help." He nodded at the darker haired of the two girls - the one with a real sword, instead of the weird club that reminded Brock of an over sized child's beach shovel.

"Hot damn!" Gathers declared, clapping his hands together and giving an unpleasant smile. "Shinmei-ryu? Two-for-one special!" The swordswoman flinched, looking very confused, but recognizing some of what Gathers said. He turned to Brock. "Get some damn clothes on - we're crashing in uninvited within ten minutes! Interpol and the Gretta Garbo will be here within hours, and that's not a fight we want."

Eying the smaller man, Brock gave a small grin of his own, drawing deeply on his cigarette. "Alright," he answered. Turning to the surrounding men, he added, "Someone drag Shore Leave's sorry hide down to medical, and let's get this party started!"

XXX

Minami was trying to make the most of her situation, but it was difficult to really be _happy_. She was _comfortable_, but she was very worried about her sister. Worse, while everyone was very polite to her, they wouldn't let her leave!

It wasn't until the middle of her second day, sitting in a relatively comfortable lounge, when someone else - another prisoner like herself, wearing the same very soft pink robes - made a gasp, her eyes widening. "Wow!" the other prisoner - not much older than herself - chirped upon seeing her. "I know you!"

"Y...you do?" Minami asked, mystified. The attendant-like 'wardens' didn't seem interested in eavesdropping. "T...that's..." After a heartbeat, the other girl's identity registered, and Minami forced down a gasp of her own surprise. "Oh! Y...you're... I've seen you in the television adaptation of Bridge of Birds! Didn't you play Jade Pearl?"

"Yeah," the girl replied, her smile slipping slightly. "Well ... I lost the role, actually... But I was in the original pilot! I heard they're actually redoing it because the new girl they found is supposed to be really good... Never mind that, now! You're Zaizen Mai, from ENOZ!"

"N...no," Minami whimpered. "My name is-"

"Ah, got it," the other girl giggled, grinning widely, before giving an overemphasized wink. "Incognito, right? Yeah - checking into rehab at this stage would be terrible for your career, wouldn't it? Your secret is safe with me, Zaizen-san!"

Minami managed to shape a few words, but not spit them out, as things suddenly clicked together. Well ... it would explain how Tendo Nabiki arranged to get her out of the way. The attendants thought she had agreed to this ... which did explain why it was both confining _and_ comfortable.

But who was taking care of her sister? Worse, what did Ukyou, her _boss_ think of her suddenly vanishing?

The twitching young starlet, still under the impression that she was a member of some band that Minami barely even recognized, continued to yammer on about something that the woman honestly couldn't care less about. No matter what, she was confident that no one was having a day as bad as hers. That thought in mind, and realizing where she was, she managed to get into an absolutely _amazing_ outdoor bath. Well ... actually, it was all glassed in, allowing an inspiring view of the ongoing snowstorm. So, technically, an indoor bath.

There were a handful of other girls there, of varying ages, most of them avoiding eye contact. She didn't fit in much better, though. She could tell them she didn't belong, but the other prisoners - guests, she supposed - gave her very knowing looks and shook their heads. Soaking in the water, she looked up at the swirling snow, a random break in the storm giving her all the warning she got. Glimpses of dark brown, or orange-suited figures, descending from the skies.

She shrieked in what she thought was entirely justified terror and dove in the bath, finding a heavy submerged boulder and clinging to it, cringing away from the shards of glass that exploded into the water around her. When she came up, gasping for breath, the bath had transformed into a battlefield - armored figures shouting as they collided with the security forces of the 'resort'.

Directly before her, the water exploded upwards in a giant column, revealing a towering cloaked figure, steaming in the frigid air, and emanating a palpable aura of menace. Her eyes widened as she began to scramble backwards, away from the form. Beneath the cloak, a pair of horrifyingly eager eyes stared about - the only visible human part of the thing. A blood-red steel mask covered its face, and a samurai helm concealed the rest of its head, capped with a plume of red that matched the mask and cloak. The rest of its torso was wrapped in gray and gold armor, a grinning golden skull prominent in the center.

A long, naked blade was in one hand, and the mask - for one heart-stopping, terrifying moment - turned to regard her. The eyes did not blink, only pausing to register her, then - evidently - determine that she didn't matter. Her heart hammered unsteadily once the gaze moved on.

She continued her blind scramble backwards and away, cringing at the sound of someone crying out - her voice cutting through all the other yells and shouts. "Raimeiken Ni-no-Tachi!" the voice called. A flurry of golden crescents lashed through the space over her head, striking the cloaked, masked figure.

The armored form staggered, then adjusted its stance. "Oh, _yeah_!" a rough, excited voice bellowed from behind her. "Free ride's over, karma Houdini! You're _mortal_ now!" Those same eyes widened, registering improbable fear of their own as a titanic figure charged past her, throwing a gun to one side with obvious disdain.

Just when things couldn't get any stranger, a pair of arms wrapped around her, hauling her completely out of the water and into the freezing air - and then, a second later, yanking her even further up, through the swirling snow and into the skies itself. "You're going to be okay!" her boss's voice came, yelled into her ear, barely audible over the whipping wind.

Okay, she forced herself to admit, naked, freezing, and falling into space, evidently she was going into some terrible kind of withdrawal. Maybe these people _did_ know what they were talking about.

XXX

For once, Ukyou's patience had won out. She had _no_ idea what Seta had gotten them into, only that Seta seemed to have a _faint_ idea. As far as she could tell, she had bribed the crazy people that Motoko was muttering were terrorists with a pack of cigarettes. That and an excuse to break some windows seemed to motivate the entire crew into assisting her find Minami - something alarming, but ... well, she'd seen stranger.

Their unreasonable airship maintained a steady course, and the blond titan who had seemed intent on killing Seta abruptly became unreasonably friendly. He showed them into the airship's interior, where she and Motoko were offered seats in a meeting room of some kind, at a long, rectangular table. Seta translated, explaining that the strange men were secret agents of justice.

Motoko and Ukyou found this very unlikely, but if pretending to be fooled meant survival, they decided to play along - that much better if they could find Minami, too. The group of men were looking for some person, a criminal, they insisted, who was evil. And then they named a terrorist - someone from history that Ukyou couldn't convince herself to believe was _possibly_ in some place as innocuous as Hokkaido.

Despite her obvious, growing discomfort, Motoko agreed that she would help fight the figure... Except, the men didn't really want Motoko to _fight_ him, just use one technique. At that point, Ukyou had mentally checked out of the conversation, just worried about Minami.

Shortly enough, they were in the hangar bay of the unreasonably huge flying fortress, along with dozens of armored figures, all listening to orders from the huge man - Sampson. He'd stopped to put on a new set of armor, and Motoko was confused that he seemed to dismiss her earlier attack on him so easily. After _that_, she and Motoko had gone down with the second wave of attackers, rappelling down an insanely long tow-line with a harness, and directions on how to use it.

Swinging in over the hot-springs where she hoped to find Minami, she coordinated her landing - touching down on a boulder just behind Minami a few seconds after Motoko. The kendoka was staring, aghast, at the thing she had just attacked - frozen by its gaze. Unmindful of her paralysis, the hulking form of Sampson charged forward, cheerfully entering battle with...

Not letting herself think about it, Ukyou reached over to Motoko's harness and yanked the emergency recall cord, then seized Minami with one arm and pulled her own cord. Shortly after _that_, they were back in the hangar, Seta wrapping Minami's shocked, trembling form in his coat before helping her and Motoko out of their harnesses.

All of them shaking nervously, except for Seta, they went back to the meeting room - and suddenly, it was quiet.

"Mission successful?" Seta asked hopefully, his eye done blackening.

Blinking, the kendoka haltingly began, "I ... I think I just attacked-"

"Don't say his name," Seta warned, shaking his head sharply. "Try not to think about him, either."

"O...oh," Motoko said, frowning. "I...is he going to come back?"

Glancing at the door, Seta explained, "The name is attached to the armor, and there have been many hosts... I doubt this will be the last, but the next will have no memory of you."

"You've run into ... that ... before?" Ukyou asked, aghast. "How the hell did this _happen_?"

"It's my fault!" Minami abruptly began to bawl. "I'm a terrible person! I'm so sorry - but I needed the money!"

This, somehow, was even more shocking than everything else. "You? How!"

Sobbing uncontrollably, Minami seized the lapels of Ukyou's coat. "She said she wouldn't hurt you!" she cried. "I didn't know she was going to kidnap me!"

"Who?" Ukyou asked, baffled.

"H...her name is Tendo Nabiki!" Minami wailed. "I'm _so_ sorry!"

_That_, Ukyou could hang onto. A Tendo, she could beat up for causing her these strange problems. She turned to glare at Seta. "This base has a phone, right? I need to call someone!"

Seta looked uncomfortable, but nodded. "I'll see what I can do," he agreed.

XXX

Given some time to think about it, Akane had calmed down a little. At least, to the point where she could acknowledge that she was in a bad mood. Her father and Genma realized how irate she was, at least - the only real good she could see in the situation was that her father had completely shut up about an heir for the dojo.

However, her irritation was not assuaged by Nabiki's continued absence. Kasumi, the same gentle soul she had always been, was over again, this time teaching Akane a new recipe.

She had finally come to acknowledge that she would never be as good in the kitchen as her older sister. It was not her favorite lesson... Once she'd started to think of herself as an only mediocre cook, her skill actually _had_ rocketed up ... and then plateaued at adequate. She especially didn't like to think what it might mean for other things ... but at least she'd learned not to force issues as much. A lesson that still evidently escaped her father.

"Let's see," Kasumi mused, poring over her cookbook. The one she had written for herself, much like the one their mother had left behind for them... Akane doubted she'd ever get to write such a book, but consoled herself in the fact that she at least _was_ capable of carrying on the dojo. "How about dumplings?"

"That sounds good," Akane agreed. "Um ... thanks for keeping me company lately, Kasumi."

"We're family; we should stick together," her elder sister remarked, smiling gently. She looked up in surprise as the phone rang, and Akane shook her head.

"I'll get it - don't wait up for me," Akane insisted. Kasumi nodded as Akane stepped into the hall, answering the phone with her now practiced greeting: "You've reached the Tendo Dojo, this is Tendo Akane speaking."

"Akane, you bitch!" someone snarled, before a fortunate hiss in static censored further complaints. When it faded, Akane heard an accusatory, "How _could_ you?"

Not really in the mood to be harassed, Akane sighed, raising one hand to her temple. "I'm sorry," she said with forced patience, "this connection seems to be breaking up - I'm not sure I'm hearing you very well. Who am I speaking to?"

The static increased briefly, then abruptly cut out, leaving the channel sounding miraculously clear. "This is Kuonji Ukyou," the other voice yelled at her. "Now why in the hell did your sister kidnap Minami!"

Akane blinked, too perplexed to be insulted. "What did Nabiki do?" she asked. "Who's Minami?"

"I- You-" Ukyou cut off for a moment, obviously thinking about things. "Y...your sister didn't tell you she was going to kidnap my employee for some crazy revenge scheme against Ranchan?"

"No, she- R...Ranma?" How had this resurfaced again? "I...is..." Revenge against Ranma... Akane didn't really wish him ill, though. She'd been _mad_, but they'd _all_ been mad. That was different from wanting revenge - not even Kasumi actually _resented_ Ranma... "Ukyou," she said, as earnestly as she could, "I don't know where Nabiki is - I haven't talked to her in days! I'll call her to find out what's going on, but this is the first I've heard about any of this!"

"I... Oh... W...well..." Ukyou's confident fury had melted into confusion.

Akane actually had a lot of sympathy for the girl - she just wished it wasn't the first time they'd spoken since everything had gone wrong in the first place. "If Nabiki's done what you say, she needs to answer for that," Akane promised. "Now, I'll give you her cell phone number, but I'm going to be calling her first - and if I have to, I'll stop her myself!"

"O...okay, um ... thanks ... er, tell Kasumi I said hi?" Ukyou ventured, after taking the number.

"We really _should_ talk," Akane agreed. "Take care-" Then she hung up without waiting to hear Ukyou's answer, and furiously dialed Nabiki.

Her sister answered on the fifth ring, just as Akane was beginning to give up hope. "Akane!" Nabiki greeted her excitedly, though her voice was pitched worrisomely low. "What great timing- Listen! I'm about to do something amazing!"

"Amaz- Nabiki, Ukyou just called me to say you kidnapped one of her employees! Something about _Ranma_?"

"Oh, damn," Nabiki swore. "I wanted you to be surprised!"

"What?" Akane screeched, horrified. "You thought- Nabiki, are you out of your _mind_? Now, _you_ listen! Just a bit ago, I found out that P-chan was Ryouga!"

"Oh," Nabiki's response came, sounding strangely annoyed and disinterested. "Um ... well, I imagine that's upset you, but just you sit tight, and I'll bring back some good news."

"No!" Akane yelled. "This is stupid - Nabiki, you don't understand-"

"_You_ don't understand!" Nabiki snarled back. "That jerk ruined our entire _family_, and now, we're going to ruin _him_ - if you want to get closure, like I do, then come down to Sakuragoka park - and _hurry_." At that, the phone disconnected.

Akane furiously redialed, but it went straight to voice mail. She swore, hanging it up, and spun, realizing that the entire household had turned up to watch and listen in. Not that they had much choice, with all the yelling, she realized belatedly. She shot her father and Genma dark glares.

"We're going to Sakuragoka park _right now_," she barked at them, glaring.

"A...Akane, what's this about?" Kasumi asked nervously, standing in the entrance to the kitchen.

Drawing in a deep breath, Akane answered, "Ranma's there - and he's in trouble." She turned to the door, ready to grab her shoes, and froze, cursing herself inwardly. Of all the days...

As the years went by, she'd visited less and less ... but on occasion, she still came by. It wasn't much talked about, but it had become obvious enough even to her that she wasn't going to find the one she wanted. More and more, when she did come by, it wasn't to ask after her son, but the supposed cousin of the Tendo sisters. Not that she'd been seen since the same time, naturally.

Hearing so much of a commotion, Akane could easily imagine the proper woman waiting uncomfortably, trying to pretend she heard nothing ... until the name of the son she had been waiting to meet for over a decade had been shouted by an angry Tendo Akane.

With a speed and skill that Akane couldn't help but think the old man should have been embarrassed by, Saotome Genma had splashed himself with a convenient bucket. Judging by how far away Nodoka's eyes were at the moment, it may not have mattered. "Y...you know where my son is?" she asked with quiet, desperate hope.

"Y...yeah," Akane admitted, ignoring the screaming warning in the back of her head that this was a bad idea. "I...it's... I have to go!" She fled past the woman; this was just too much to deal with. One thing at a time.  


* * *

Author's Notes: YES, I have been planning that for a very long time - since I first introduced the Archaeologist's Guild. For those who were wondering about the 'terrorist', because it's totally not plot relevant, he is Ko-Enshaku, of the Bigfire Group, from Giant Robo. Many other references in the background are to Giant Robo, due to me realizing that it's actually just part of the world that DitR takes place in.

Go figure, huh? Now, there should be one, MAYBE two more chapters. 


End file.
